Hearts: Sakura and the King of Evil
by bodiechan
Summary: When Tomoeda Elementary sponsors a trip to Hyrule, Sakura and friends couldn't be more excited. But when Ganondorf attacks, it turns out to be far from the relaxing vacation planned. However, the last battle to face is the one of their own hearts.
1. Vacation

**NOTE: I DO NOT TAKE FULL CREDIT FOR THIS STORY. It started out as a roleplay between me and an IRL friend, Sam, since I love _Cardcaptor Sakura _and he loves _The Legend of Zelda_. I wrote all the parts involving CCS characters, may it be their dialogue or their movements, but Sam wrote everything for the _Zelda_ characters. He rightly owns half this story, but as he has no account, I submitted it to mine. He also told me to give credit to the user Firebird-X, whose _Zelda _stories inspired him greatly and gave him some timeline connections. Enjoy!**

**Another little note… this takes place just after the Final Judgement, before Sakura met Eriol. She has the Star Wand but can use Clow Cards with it and has no need to transform them into Sakura Cards (work with me here). This is sort of assuming the third season (or last six volumes, manga-wise) never happened. This story is also under the assumption that Link didn't go back in time at the end of Ocarina of Time.**

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: VACATION

The sun shone brightly over Hyrule Field. A young man in green was walking along a dirt road, humming a tune to himself. _What a beautiful day_, thought Link, the man in question. _No monsters, no power-hungry wizards, and no lost dogs! Noting could possibly rui__—_ He was cut off by the sudden appearance of Stalchildren surrounding him. "I guess I spoke too soon," he muttered to himself. "And I left all my weapons in the forest. I need to make a quick exit." Link began to draw on his magical energy and was surrounded by a green light.

"FARORE'S WIND!" In a flash of bright light, Link warped away from the monsters and towards the forest.

————

"A school field trip! Wow! I wanna go so bad!"

Kinomoto Sakura had never been out of the country except for the time she'd won tickets to Hong Kong, but that had been a few months ago. The announcement of a trip for the entire fifth grade struck her as delightful. Still holding the flyer in her hand, she turned to her best friend, beaming like a little girl in a candy store. "Are you going to sign up, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Of course I'm going if you are, Sakura-chan!" Daidouji Tomoyo gushed, clasping her hands together as her eyes grew sparkly and distant. "I can't pass up a chance for one second to videotape your every move! I'll make a whole new set of outfits for you and everything!"

"T-Tomoyo… chan…" A little sweat drop rested on Sakura's head at the thought. How was she supposed to enjoy the other country with Tomoyo like this all time?! She turned then to another friend, a boy who had kept silent on the topic until now. "Are you going too, Syaoran-kun?"

Li Syaoran blushed at being addressed so plainly by Sakura. If she was going, then so was he, because like Tomoyo, he didn't want to miss a second of Sakura's life. But of course, she couldn't find that out. "I… I guess I'm going too," he said as casually as he could. "If there's some magical problems or something there, you probably won't be able to face it on your own."

To Syaoran's surprise, his insult didn't even register, and Sakura's smile simply grew wider. "That's great! I'm so glad you're coming too, Syaoran-kun!"

Syaoran's face grew even redder. She was happy to have him around?! "T-thanks… S-Sakura…"

This would be an interesting trip, assuredly.

————

Link strolled through the Lost Woods Towards Kokiri Village. The Woods had a calming effect on him, and no matter how many times he walked through it, he would always notice something new and wonderful that may have been there for hundreds of years without anyone giving it a second thought. The village itself was different, but in a good way. The Kokiri had their own way of life that was so different from anything Link had ever seen outside the forest. The only other place that Link ever truly felt at home was Lon Lon Ranch, but that was a story for a different time. As he reached the ladder that led up to his tree house, he smiled fondly at a drawing of a dinosaur that he had scribbled onto the side of the tree when he was little. Once inside his house, he grabbed his bomb bag, bow and arrows, hookshot, and of course, the Ocarina that Saria had given to him when he first left the woods to start his adventure. It was then that he noticed a letter on his table. Taking note of the royal seal, he opened it immediately.

_Noble Hero of Time,_

_You are hereby invited to tonight's royal banquet in celebration of Hyrule's freedom from Gannondorf._

_Sincerely,_

_Princess Zelda_

Link groaned. He knew that Zelda was making fun of him. He and Zelda had a strong brother-sister-type relationship, far from the popular belief that they were romantically involved. "I guess I should get going then," mumbled Link. He left his house and walked out of the forest, unaware of the new adventure that lay ahead of him.

————

"I'm home!"

Sakura unstrapped her skates and hung them from a peg on the wall as she sauntered into her house after school. Since she was the sole person there (her father and Toya were both at work), Kero had free reign to whatever part of the house he wanted instead of being confined to Sakura's bedroom. He gladly flew into the hall to greet her.

"Heeyyy, kiddo! Did you bring me snacks?" Kero's beady eyes were lit up with greed, and Sakura couldn't help laughing.

"No, silly," she giggled, giving him a little pat to the head. Kero sure had a one-track mind.

Kero sighed, his posture drooping in disappointment. "Oh…"

"But guess what!" Sakura added quickly, in an attempt to change the subject to something more uplifting. Kero deprived of his sweets could be a very scary thing. "The fifth grade has a program where you can go on a field trip to another country, and Tomoyo-chan and Syaoran-kun and I are going! You can hide in my backpack and come along if you want."

Suddenly perky once more, Kero's initial excitement at seeing Sakura come home returned. "Really? I can come?" Sakura nodded. "Then I can eat as much as I want!" Kero said eagerly. "Whoopee!"

"Kero-chan!" cried Sakura in disapproval. "We're going to appreciate the country's beauty, and to go sight-seeing. We're not going for snacks!"

"Foreign food, foreign food!" Kero was giggling now like a teenage girl. Then suddenly something seemed to occur to him. "Hey, Sakura, what country did you say we were going to again? I hope it has good desserts!"

Sakura frowned, picking her backpack off the floor and reaching inside to find the permission form her father would need to sign. "Hmm… lemme see…" Kero waited patiently while Sakura sounded out the name. "It's called Heer-ooh-lay. Uh... Hyrule or something." She paused. "I've never even heard of it before."

To Sakura's surprise, Kero's expression turned solemn at this knowledge, now deep in thought. "Hyrule… I think Clow took Yue there once… a long, long time ago…"

"Kero-chan?" Sakura piped, suddenly worried. What reason would Clow have to be in Hyrule? This wasn't going to be like Hong Kong, was it?

Finally Kero turned back to Sakura, still with a funeral-worthy look about him. "I remember Clow saying that Hyrule has very good food," he said solemnly.

It took a moment for Sakura to process this.

"Wheeeee! Good food in Hyrule!" cheered Kero, flying around Sakura's head in circles in celebration.

"Kero-chan!" Sakura screeched. "You really had me scared for a minute! Stop being so _weird_!"

Though in truth, even though it wasn't the most serious topic in the world, it was a nice thing to know.

————

Link walked out of the forest and back to Hyrule field. He took out his ocarina and played the song that would call Epona to him. Once she arrived, he leaped onto the saddle and galloped off towards Castle Town.

Unfortunately, the market was as crowded as ever with people trying to thank him for saving Hyrule, get his autograph, or give him free things. _Zelda probably announced that I would be coming, just to slow me down_, he thought. Shaking his head slightly, he started to lead Epona through the crowd. He finally arrived at the castle gate. His friend Rusl was there.

"Why hello there, Link, fancy meeting you here!" said Rusl, trying hard not to laugh at Link's exhausted appearance and the crowd surrounding him.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you, Rusl?" asked Link.

"No more than usual, Link. Go on through." Rusl opened the gate, chuckling to himself. Link practically fell forwards onto castle grounds. He led Epona to the stables himself, despite much protest by the stable hands.

"Hero of Time!" Link turned to see a guard standing at attention. "Please follow me, Hero of Time. I will take you to the banquet hall."

"All right, lead the way then," said Link.

The banquet hall was huge. An incredibly long table with a silver tablecloth was in the center, surrounded by a large amount of chairs. The table settings were, to say the least, shiny, and covered trays with food under them lined the middle of the table. The line of trays was interspersed with bottles of what Link assumed to be wine of some sort, vases of brilliantly colored flowers, and candles.

Link had never felt more out of place.

Zelda was sitting at the head of the table, looking very much in place. Link tentatively sat down in the heavily cushioned seat adjacent to her. "Welcome, noble Hero of Time," said Zelda in an overly royal tone of voice.

Link grinned. _Payback time_.

"A pleasure as always, Your Royal Highness," said Link, who had stood up from his chair and was now kneeling next to Zelda's chair.

"Get back in your chair, Link!" chuckled Zelda as she playfully slapped his head.

"Ow! Zelda, that hurt!"

"No it didn't, Link."

"But I said that it did. That should count for something, right?" Both of them laughed until more guests arrived and the banquet began.

————

"Otou-san?" Sakura asked over dinner, pulling out the permission slip from underneath the table. "Could you sign this form for me please?"

"What's that?" Toya asked absently, his mouth full of curry. "Why do you want Dad's autograph?"

Sakura glared at him as Fujitaka read the slip. Finally her father smiled and said, "So, you want to go to this country Hyrule, Sakura-san? It sounds like a great opportunity."

"Can I go?" asked Sakura eagerly, her excitement mounting when she saw Fujitaka nod and get a pen from his pocket to sign the form.

Toya swallowed his curry before looking at his sister with renewed interest. "Hyrule, huh?"

Sakura nodded. "H-hai! Why do you ask?"

Toya shrugged. "I just got a part-time job there today. Weird coincidence, huh? Guess I'll be seeing you in Hyrule, squirt." After which he abruptly went back to his curry.

Sakura's eyes bugged out. "H-hoeeee?" Toya was going to be working in the foreign country when she went? That was odd. But, based on some of the other jobs Toya had taken on, this was actually pretty normal for him. But the one thing that she couldn't get out of her head was that she'd never even _heard_ of Hyrule until today, and now here were so many references to the country all at once! Had it just been founded or something? But then, hadn't Kero said that Clow took Yue to Hyrule? That would have been over 300 years ago. This was indeed a strange situation.

Fujitaka put his pen to the paper and signed his name. Strange or not, Sakura was going to Hyrule.

————

"So, Link, you should know that a group of international students are coming to visit from Japan," Zelda said casually.

"Oh, that's interesting." Link wasn't really paying attention, since fighting his way through the market had worked up quite an appetite.

"Oh, and by the way, Link, I'm appointing you as their tour guide."

Link almost choked on his food, but managed to force himself to swallow. "Me? Why?!"

"Well, you've explored more of Hyrule than anyone else, so you are the obvious choice."

Link took a few deep breaths. "Fine, but this is a one-time thing, understand?"

"Of course. Did I mention that Lon Lon Ranch is one of the places that you are supposed to take them?"

"Really?" asked Link, trying his best to hide the excitement in his voice. He didn't do a very good job, because Zelda started giggling. "What's so funny?"

"You're so excited to see Malon that you don't care about being a tour guide."

"That's not it!" declared Link, whose face had turned red at the mention of Malon. "I just… um… I really like the scenery at the ranch."

"Whatever you say, Link."

Link grumbled to himself and resumed his meal. "When do the students get here?"

"Tomorrow at around noon, so you should have some time to prepare a tour route of sorts." Zelda was acting as if nothing had happened. After the banquet, Link rode back to the forest. As soon as he lay down on his bed, he was asleep.

————

"C'mon, Syaoran-kun! Hurry up!"

Syaoran blushed and tightened his grip on the carry-on bag under his arm. "O-okay, Sakura." He'd been lagging slightly behind, watching the way Sakura moved as she walked, dreaming of confessing in a beautiful garden in Hyrule under the stars. He quickened his pace, and in a few moments he was standing beside her.

Sakura smiled warmly, a grin so bright that it made Syaoran's heart flutter just thinking about it. "I'm so glad you're coming, Syaoran-kun."

Tomoyo, on Sakura's other side, was in paradise. As they walked along the airport halls, she had her video camera on and recording, that warm smile now captured forever on tape for Tomoyo to treasure. She could see the chemistry between Sakura and Syaoran clearly, as if the two had been dating for years: the way she talked to him, the way he looked at her, the way the two of them were always there for one another. Unfortunately, the only one that couldn't see it was Sakura.

"Are we there yet? I'm starving!"

"AUGH, KERO-CHAN!" Sakura screeched as a muffled voice came from inside her handbag. Passersby started to stare at the commotion she was making. Sakura blushed and waved them away. "It's… it's nothing! Heheh…"

"But I'm so bored," Kero complained, far more loudly than Sakura would have liked. "And I can already taste Hyrule's cakes in my mouth!"

"Shut up, Kero-chan," Sakura muttered, though really, she was looking forward to Hyrule's cakes too.

"Maybe we can go to a café or something once we get there, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said, beaming as always.

"Hai!" Sakura agreed. She turned to her other side. "What do you think, Syaoran-kun?"

She wanted his opinion! "Uh, I'd go to a café if you want to," he muttered, looking at his toes so Sakura wouldn't see the crimson color creeping up his ears.

"I'm glad!" Sakura said happily. "I wouldn't want to go if you didn't want to."

Syaoran smiled meekly. "S-Sakura—"

"OY! KINOMOTO! DAIDOUJI! LI!" The voice of Terada-sensei snapped them back to reality. "HURRY UP OR WE'LL MISS OUR PLANE!"

Several students giggled. Looking up ahead, the threesome realized that they were indeed lagging behind.

"Hai!" Sakura called back, grabbing Tomoyo's hand and hurrying forward. Her hair flew behind her as she ran, her skirt swirling around her legs, her laugh bouncing gleefully down the hallway to where it met Syaoran's ears. He could have stood here and watched her forever.

"LI! ARE YOU COMING OR NOT?!"

"Hai!" Syaoran squeaked. And with a little flutter of his heart he ran after her.

————

Link yawned and stretched as he got out of bed the next morning. He had a quick breakfast and then started to form a travel route for the students.

"Okay, so there's the Lost Woods, Kokiri Village, Death Mountain, Goron City, Lake Hylia, Zora's domain, Gerude Desert, Gerudo Fortress, Castle Town, the Castle, Kakariko Village, Lon Lon Ranch of course, and maybe the Temple of Time." Link stared at the list for a while. "They had better be staying here for at least a week, or else we won't get to see half of the list!" Link checked his clock. "Ahh! I need to be at the castle in ten minutes!" Link dashed outside, slid down the ladder, and ran out of the forest towards the castle.

————

Led by Terada-sensei, Tomoeda's fifth graders boarded the plane and assumed their seats. Tomoyo, Sakura, and Syaoran chose a row carefully: Tomoyo in the isle seat so she had room to hold her camera, Sakura in the middle, grasping her handbag with Kero inside, and Syaoran at the window, gazing out it and trying not to stare to his left. But it was no use trying not to, for every cloud reminded him of her.

The stewardess approached them with her cart and gave each of the three a Dixie cup of water and a small packet of peanuts. Kero whispered an angry message about how he couldn't wait for cakes, so Sakura inconspicuously shoved the packet of peanuts into her handbag. To her dismay, a few moments later a screech of horror erupted from inside.

"Kero-chan!" hissed Sakura, keeping her voice down despite her anger.

"I have a right to be angry," cried Kero indignantly in reply. "There are only four peanuts in this bag! Four! You paid for expensive plane tickets and only got four peanuts?! This is an outrage! Why, when Clow and Yue and I used to travel together… well, there _were _no planes… but if there were, we would have gotten much better service! Thirty peanuts, fifty! A hundred! _Not_ four!"

A huge sweat drop rested on Sakura's head as Kero's rambles grew louder. "K-Kero-chan…" People were craning their heads now to try and catch a glimpse of the complaining passenger, to no avail. Was the voice coming out of that little girl's handbag somehow?

"Sakura-chan has a miniature DVD player in her bag," Tomoyo explained to all who cared to listen. "You forgot to turn it off before we got on the plane, didn't you, Sakura-chan?"

"H-hai," Sakura said, embarrassed beyond compare. At least Tomoyo had an excuse readymade.

Fortunately, Kero took the hint and decided to stop, but only after five very awkward minutes had gone by where Sakura thought she would explode from horror.

Syaoran gazed out the window, trying not to stare.

————

Link arrived at the castle on Epona to see Rusl and a group of guards surrounding Zelda. Impa was also present, but she was slightly in front of the group.

"Almost late as always, Link," said Impa.

Link ignored the comment and looked out over the field. In the distance he could make out the horse-drawn carriers approaching from Termina. As they approached, Link was taken by surprise by the fact that he could sense two powerful magical auras emanating from one of the carriers.

"Impa—"

"I sense it too, Link, and so does Zelda. Keep an eye out."

"Right."

The carriers pulled up, and the passengers walked out one at a time.

————

"Wow, a horse and carriage is taking us? That's so cool!"

Sure enough, a large number of horse-drawn buggies had pulled up at the edge of the landing strip for the fifth-graders to be taken to Hyrule in. Sakura had never ridden in anything like this before, and she couldn't have been more excited.

Kero unzipped the bag from the inside and poked his head out into the wind. "It looks just as Yue described it," Kero said cryptically. "Now all we need are the cakes!"

Sakura swung around, Kero bouncing precariously against her side in the handbag. He uttered a cry of protest, but she didn't hear. "Tomoyo-chan, Syaoran-kun, let's get a carriage together, okay?"

"Of course," Tomoyo said with a nod.

"Okay," Syaoran said with another.

The carriages were big enough to hold more than just three people, however, so the threesome shared theirs with Chiharu, Naoko, Rika, and Yamazaki. Yamazaki was just finishing informing them of the long, lie-filled history of horse and carriages, when Syaoran tensed up in his seat and let out a little cry of shock.

Only Sakura, sitting next to him, seemed to notice. "What's wrong, Syaoran-kun?" she muttered in his ear.

"Don't you feel it?" Syaoran whispered back. "This whole country is filled with magic!"

Sakura closed her eyes and tried to see what she could sense herself. Sure enough, given enough concentration, she could feel a huge stream of magic pulsating all around them. Her eyes jerked open and she looked at Syaoran in a panic. "You're right. That's probably why Clow-san came here."

"We have to be on our guards," Syaoran mumbled, glaring out the window at whatever lay ahead.

After about a half-hour and some tall tales from Yamazaki, the carriage pulled up in a field on the edge of a large castle. Sakura, though supposed to be on guard, couldn't help gazing out the window in awe. "Look at that castle, guys! And this field is so pretty!"

Tomoyo beamed. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Sakura-chan."

Finally the carriage slowed to a halt, and the passengers filed out: Chiharu dragging the still-lying Yamazaki behind her, Rika deep in thought about what she would say to Terada-sensei later in the evening, Naoko reading a science fiction novel as she walked, and finally Syaoran followed by Sakura, with Tomoyo with her video camera bringing up the rear. The other carriages hadn't arrived yet, so with no teachers to tell them what to do, the children milled around the field, playing little games such as tag, or in Syaoran's case, looking for the source of the magical aura he felt. Where could this much power possibly be coming from?

————

Link was taken aback. After all, he hadn't expected two children to be the source of magic.

The boy was glancing around suspiciously, but the girl had fallen victim to the beauty of Hyrule field. Link decided that since the children posed no threat that he could sense, he wouldn't be too uptight. "Welcome to Hyrule. My name is Link, and I'll be your tour guide for however long you're staying in our country. This is Impa, Princess Zelda's guardian, and that's Rusl, captain of the Royal Guard. And of course, Princess Zelda is present as well, and once we get onto castle grounds, she will give you a more formal welcome. Please follow me."


	2. Revelation

CHAPTER TWO: REVELATION

Syaoran whirled around in surprise to see a young man standing in front of them. He claimed to be their tour guide and seemed appeared nice enough, speaking of princesses and royalty and things that would be fascinating to explore. The other students were entranced by him, running to his side without protest. Terada-sensei's carriage pulled up, and as more students landed on the field they also hurried to the tour guide's side. He was, as far as appearances go, completely harmless.

Syaoran, however, didn't trust him for a moment. The guide had a strong magical aura, one that rivaled Syaoran's own, and Syaoran had always been taught to be wary of those with power.

He turned to the recently titled Master of the Clow to inform her of the potential danger, but saw that Sakura was beside Link like the others and was giggling at something that Chiharu had said. The little group of girls looked so close, so happy… How could Syaoran break that up for something so serious? He shook his head and walked to Link's other side, far away from Sakura. Well, he would be on guard at least, even if Sakura wasn't. He would protect her without burdening her. It was a lonely life, but it was what would make Sakura happiest. Syaoran was beginning to learn that sometimes when it comes to making your number one person happy, you have to make some sacrifices in the process.

As Link led the group of students through the market, a man who Link guessed to be their chaperone ran up next to him. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Link asked.

Terada-sensei cleared his throat. "Well, I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Terada Yoshiyuki, and these are my fifth graders. I'm very pleased to meet you." He held out his hand. "That's a very interesting outfit you're wearing, sir. Is that traditional garb here?"

"It's good to meet you, Mr. Terada. I'm Link. This clothing was made by the Kokiri. The Kokiri live in the forest, hence the green coloration. You'll get to meet them later." Link was a little preoccupied with the glares he was getting from the magical boy. _What could he possibly have against me? He probably doesn't trust me. I'll have to talk to him later._ "I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr. Terada. Also, you should try some of the cakes here. They're quite good." Link thought he heard a noise and turned to look. All he saw was the students one of which was rummaging through her bag. Normally Link would have dismissed this, but this was the girl who had a magical aura. He would have to investigate that as well.

At the mention of food, Kero had aroused inside Sakura's big and started banging his head into its sides, struggling to escape the confines. "I want cakkkeeesss…"

"Kero-chan!" Sakura cried, pushing him back down as quietly as she possibly could. "You can't _do_ that! What if someone sees you?" She caught the eyes of Link, who gave her a suspicious look. She laughed nervously and gave him a shaky expression that she hoped resembled a smile.

"That's very interesting," Terada-sensei was telling Link. "I can't wait to meet them. And cakes, hmm? We should go to a café or something later…"

"YES!" shouted Kero.

Sakura gave him a particularly violent shove in response.

————

After what felt like longer than usual, Link led his group onto castle grounds. Zelda had gotten there before them and was standing in the courtyard flanked by guards.

"Hello, everyone. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. Thank you for visiting our country. Hopefully you will find it to be full of entertaining and enriching experiences. Link has explored more of Hyrule than anyone else, so there's no one better to guide you. You will be visiting many unique places, many of which have rich cultures all their own. At the end of your stay, we here at Hyrule castle have planned a special meal that will feature food from all over the country. You will get to sample these foods during your tour, so you will be able to have your favorite choice at the party. Link, please take our guests to the inn."

"We get to sample foods?" asked Kero, but softly enough that Sakura wouldn't hit him again. His mouth was watering already!

Link, who had been thinking about when they were going to get to the ranch, shook his head slightly and glanced around. "Right, the inn is in Kakariko Village, so we should get going. This way, please." He would talk to the magical children at the inn.

The students gathered their things and followed after Link, talking amongst themselves about how exciting it was to be in a different country. Syaoran kept his eyes on Link at all times. He couldn't help noticing the strange green garb, so similar to the ceremonial robes that he wore while capturing Clow Cards. Did Link know about the Cards somehow? Sakura _had_ said that Clow had been to Hyrule…

Maybe he was reading too much into this, but he'd been trained very carefully never to relax, never to assume that things were all right.

"Syaoran-kun!"

"AUGGHHH!" Sakura had crept up behind Syaoran without his knowing, and he yelped in horror until he realized who it was. "Oh, um, Sakura… it's you."

Sakura never once flinched, never wavered from her position. "Syaoran-kun, let's walk to the inn together!"

Syaoran blushed a deep crimson. "Okay…"

"You seem so serious," Sakura giggled. "Relax! Have some fun!" She held out her hand.

He took it. Oh, God.

————

As the group arrived at the inn, Link breathed a deep sigh of relief to see Anju standing at the door. Anju loved children and knew that Link was easily exhausted by them.

"Well, everyone, this is Anju, the innkeeper. She'll show you to your rooms. We'll meet for dinner at six-thirty, so you have some time to unpack."

As the students walked in, Link discreetly pulled aside the two magical ones. The girl appeared confused, but the boy was giving him a death glare.

"So, let's get down to business. What kind of magic do you have, what's in the backpack, and what do you use your magic for?"

Sakura gaped. She didn't understand… how could he have known? "How… how do you know we have magic?" asked Sakura defensively.

"Isn't it obvious?" spat Syaoran, but his anger was directed at Link, not at Sakura. She looked to him with wide eyes. "_He_ has magic too."

"Oh," squeaked Sakura. Before she even had time to gain her composure after this news, her bag gave a huge lurch and a little yellow lion came tumbling out. "KERO-CHAN!"

"He knew I was here," Kero said seriously, glaring at Link with the intensity of Syaoran. "What's _your_ magic, kid?"

Sakura didn't quite know what to do. She liked Link, but she didn't know if she could trust him now, based on Kero and Syaoran's behavior. On the other hand, their attitudes towards him seemed quite a bit rude.

Link took a few mental deep breaths to prevent himself from snapping at the rude boy. "I am known by some as the Hero of Time. I'm also the bearer of the Triforce of Courage." He held up his hand to show them the glowing triangles. "I defeated Ganondorf and saved Hyrule, so if you fight for good, then everything should be fine. In fact, maybe we could learn something from each other, like how to be more trusting." He looked directly at the glaring boy as he said this. "As for the plush toy—"

"WHAT did you call me?!" Sakura would have warned Link not to say it, but now it was far too late. In a state of blind fury, Kero flew forward and clamped his sharp little teeth around Link's finger.

Syaoran stood next to them complacently. He didn't much like either Kero _or_ Link, and didn't know whose side to pick in the fight. Certainly he pitied Link, as the same set of actions had befallen him when he had first met Kero. But then again, Link was a mysterious magician who could be secretly trying to kill him and Sakura this very moment. He decided not to interfere.

"Kero-chan!" Sakura cried out in horror. She lunged forward, trying in vain to grab a hold of the tip of Kero's tail. "I'm so sorry, Link-san," Sakura sputtered. "Kero-chan hates being called a stuffed toy."

Link was annoyed that he had been bitten, but he'd had much worse happen to him in the past. "Sorry… Kero, was it? Okay, well, I suppose that you aren't what you appear to be. I seriously doubt that any respectable magician would make that your true form. So, tell me, what are your names? Also, what kind of magic do you use? I've been taking lessons for a while and it involves a lot of reading, so I might know a thing or two about it."

"It's not Kero," Kero told Link indignantly, before the others could say a word. "My name is Cerberus, guardian beast of the seal! Yeah, this isn't my true form; Clow knew better than that. My true form is super-cool!" he bragged. "This is the aweosmetastic Master of the Cards Clow left, in all her glory—"

"Kero-chan." Sakura sighed and shook her head, taking over introductions after he abruptly shut up. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura, and this is Li Syaoran-kun." She looked dutifully at Link. "I'm the new Master of the Clow, which are these magical Cards made by Clow Reed-san. He's, um, a magician who lived a long time ago—"

"_The_ greatest magician to date!" Kero proclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, that." Sakura was embarrassed by Kero, but she gave Link one of her famous warm smiles. "Syaoran-kun is from Hong Kong, but he came to Japan to look for the Clow Cards. He helps me out a lot."

To his annoyance, Syaoran's face turned red at this comment. "I… I captured some of the Cards too," he told Link. It was against his better judgment, but how could he refuse when Sakura had just informed their guide of practically everything? "And I have the strongest magic in my family, the Li Clan of China. Clow Reed is our ancestor… you've heard of us, right?" Searching Link's eyes, he couldn't tell if he had or not. "I can do Chinese magic," he went on. "I can make wind or fire with my sword. That kind of thing."

"Hmm, Clow Reed…" Link mused. "Yes, I do remember reading about him, a great magician. I do believe that your clan was mentioned as one of the two branches that exist. If either of you needs anything magic-related during your stay, I'm your guy. And did you say your name was Kinomoto? A young man with that same name got a job at the inn yesterday. His first name was… Toya, I think. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?"

Sakura had just opened her mouth to thank him when suddenly she heard her Oniichan's name come out of Link's mouth. This couldn't be the same Toya, could it…? But then, wasn't Kinomoto a distinctly Japanese name? And Toya _had_ said that he was getting a job in Hyrule. But at the inn she was staying at? That was just too weird. "Toya? H-hai, I know him," Sakura said shakily. "He's my Oniichan… my big brother."

Syaoran's eyes burned at the mention of Toya's name. The fact that the two hated each other was common knowledge. Syaoran was going to have trouble sleeping at night, what with Kero and Link and Toya all in the same building as he was. Could this arrangement possibly get any worse?

"Your brother? Well, that's a big coincidence," said Link. "You two should head to your rooms. You should have just enough time to unpack before dinner." But as the two started to head towards the door, Link grabbed Syaoran's shoulder and bent down next to his ear. "She likes you. Go for it." And with that, he walked off towards the restaurant to make last-minute arrangements.

Syaoran stared after Link for a full minute before he came to his senses and ran after Sakura to unpack his things. As it turned out, he was sharing a room with Yamazaki (Sakura was sharing with Tomoyo, and of course Kero-chan), and he was in a daze the entire way through unpacking his clothes. He didn't hear Yamazaki's lies as they flew past his ears. He didn't notice what drawer he put his shirts in and what drawer his pants. He wasn't even consciously thinking when he pulled from his pocket the keychain that would turn into his sword and placed it on the dresser. His mind was still stuck on Link's last sentence and couldn't seem to pull itself away. It was if that when a certain six words were uttered in his ear, a switch was turned off inside him and those six were the only things he could think of.

"_She likes you. Go for it."_

Was it true? Did Sakura really like him? Or had the tour guide lied to him, set it up on purpose as a decoy so that he wouldn't notice when he was attacked? But then, if it were meant as a distraction, then wouldn't the tour guide have needed to whisper something to Sakura too?

"_She likes you…"_

Syaoran knew Sakura liked him. Of _course_ Sakura liked him. The two of them were best friends, and would always be best friends.

But… did she like him as something more?

"_She likes you…"_

She was in love with Tsukishiro-san, wasn't she?

"_Go for it!"_

Should he trust this tour guide? His instincts told him never to take anything at face value, but his heart told him that Link was a good guy. Maybe he really was just trying to help… but even then, how could Syaoran prove that the tour guide's advice was good?

"_She likes you."_

Did she?

Did she?!

How hard it was to be on guard and keep his senses peeled, Syaoran mused, when the simple fact that he was in love seemed to ruin everything in an instant.

————

Link walked out of the restaurant and sat down on a bench deep in thought. He knew the kid wouldn't believe him at first, but at least he'd _tried_, right? He could tell by the energy surrounding them that that he had done the right thing, but he didn't like to be called a hypocrite.

_I'm going to have to tell Malon that I love her before that kid will trust me enough to take my advice._

And then there was the girl. She _was_ in love with Syaoran, but she didn't know it yet.

_How do you tell someone something like that? Syaoran probably thinks that he's the one who has the biggest mental dilemma right now. If I could just get Sakura into a Shekiah meditative state, she'd realize that she loves him! But how?_

_Aha! If I could get her to look at the Mirror Shield through the Lens of Truth, the effects would be instantaneous!_

Link got up and walked towards the hotel, quite pleased with himself.

————

Syaoran was still in a daze from Link's words as he arrived at the dinner table. He barely noticed as friends greeted him, and when Sakura smiled at him, he turned away. Could he trust Link? Did Sakura really return his feelings? He couldn't even look at her now, let alone "go for it," as Link had suggested. He averted his eyes and sat down next to Yamazaki instead of her.

Sakura, however, had her own things to trouble over. Why wasn't Syaoran sitting next to her? He hadn't even said hello. Was he mad at her for telling all those things to Link? That had to be it. It was the only thing she'd done since she'd last talked to him that he would know about. She put her head in her hands, dismayed. She and Syaoran had just begun to be such good friends, too!

"Is something bothering you, Sakura-chan?"

"Hoe?" Sakura looked up to see Tomoyo sitting beside her. If she could trust anyone, it was Tomoyo. "Syaoran-kun ignored me when I said hi to him, and he wouldn't sit next to me," she explained. "I think he might be mad at me for telling Link-san about our magic."

Tomoyo smiled in an understanding way. "Maybe it's something else," she said gently in reply. "It's not you, Sakura-chan. Li-kun probably just has something else on his mind tonight."

Sakura put her head down once more, resuming the depressed expression from a moment earlier.

Tomoyo had something else in mind, but she didn't say it, for it would simply put Sakura into an even greater state of confusion. _Li-kun probably just has something else on his mind tonight… like how to finally tell you that he loves you._

————

"Hey, Navi."

"What is it, Link?" asked the glowing fairy who had flown out from under his hat.

"How do you tell someone that you love them if you don't know if they love you?"

"Don't worry, Link. I know that Malon loves you just as much as you love her."

"How could you possibly know that?" asked Link incredulously.

"Because I'm your fairy. It's my job to make sure that you're safe, both physically and mentally, so if I didn't know, then I would be slacking."

"I believe you, but that doesn't make me much more confident."

"Don't worry," said Navi teasingly. "I have enough confidence to share."

"Thanks, Navi." Link smiled. "Okay, everyone, it's dinner time! Meet outside the restaurant!" He used a voice-throwing spell to make sure that everyone who was inside the inn heard him.

_After dinner, that's when I'll get her to look at the Mirror Shield._

————

Kero was right. Hyrule _did_ have good food. However, when convinced Syaoran was mad at her, it was hard for Sakura to enjoy it. Sakura was distant and depressed all through dinner, barely talking to anyone, and staring at the back of his head for the majority of the meal. She couldn't understand, however, why Syaoran not talking to her made her so miserable. Sure, he was her friend, but she wouldn't feel this way if Tomoyo decided not to say hi one afternoon. The way she felt about Syaoran was… different from the way she felt about Tomoyo, or any of her other friends for that matter. What was it?

Finally, when everyone had finished and Terada-sensei promised they would go to the inn's café and get cakes as soon as they met Link, Sakura pushed aside her chair and started out the doorway. However, once there, she was met by a very red, very fidgety Syaoran.

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried. She had to get it off her chest. Hopefully once she apologized, he wouldn't be angry with her anymore. "I'm so sorry I told Link-san about our magic! He seemed so nice and I just wasn't thinking!"

"N-no, it's fine." To her surprise, Syaoran waved the comment away. But then why had he avoided her before? And why was his face so red? "Umm, Sakura," he began, still blushing furiously, "there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay," Sakura said agreeably, flashing him a smile for the first time all night. She was confused, but very relieved he wasn't mad. "What is it?"

Syaoran looked down at his toes. Why did this have to be so hard?! It was best to get it out there, and fast, before he had the chance to change his mind. "I… Sakura… I…"

"Yes?" asked Sakura, naïve and innocent as always, completely unaware of the sentence he was about to throw upon her and the impact it would have on the rest of her life.

Just two more words, and she'd know, and it would all be over. "Sakura," Syaoran said, determined to do it now that he'd started, "I lo—"

But before he could finish, he was tragically cut off by an all-too-familiar voice. "Oy! Sakura?!"

"Hoe?" Sakura looked up in shock to meet Toya's eyes. Syaoran stood by her side, frozen to the spot. Now he hated Toya more than ever. And he'd been so close to confessing, too!

"Hey, monster," said Toya lazily. "Didn't know you were staying here."

Sakura shook her head in amazement. "Oniichan! Link-san told me you were working here, but I thought it must be some kind of weird coincidence with someone with the same name or something."

Toya smirked. "Nope. It's really me. And hey, monster, guess who else is here?"

Before Sakura could guess, however, another figure appeared in the doorway behind Toya. He was tall and thin, with silvery hair and glasses and a wide smile. "Sakura-chan! Hello!"

Sakura's face reddened to almost the color of Syaoran's. "Y-Yukito-san!" she stammered. "I didn't know you would be w-working here too!" She couldn't believe her good luck. Staying in the same hotel as Yukito-san! What a dream! She still had these feelings for Syaoran that she couldn't quite make out, but she always felt so _floaty_ inside when she was around Yukito! However, as much as she loved talking to Yukito, she _was_ sort of curious about what Syaoran had to say. She made a mental note to ask him later… once she was done talking to Yukito-san, that is.

Syaoran's blush slowly faded as he watched Sakura and Yukito chat aimlessly about nothing in particular, his hopes fading along with the color in his cheeks. Why hadn't he seen it before? It was so darn obvious. He guessed that tour guide just hadn't seen how Sakura acted around Yukito, because it was so clear to Syaoran and everyone else around him that it was Yukito that Sakura was head over heels in love with.

Not Syaoran.

Yukito.

Syaoran left his confession in a figurative crumpled ball of unwanted paper at the corner of the room and went outside to see what the tour guide wanted. Syaoran wanted Sakura to be able to have time alone with the one she loved most.

————

Outside the hotel, Link stepped back from the wall that he had propped the Mirror Shield up against and pulled out the Lens of Truth. "Now I just have to get Sakura to look in the right place. Hey, Sakura!" he called. "I have something to show you! It's pretty cool, and it will only take a minute!"

As Syaoran walked out the side door, oblivious to the scene between the girl he loved and Link, Sakura reluctantly turned away from Yukito to see what her tour guide was talking about. Yukito gave her a little push so that she wouldn't feel rude by leaving. "Go on, Sakura-chan. I'm sure it'll be great."

Sakura smiled uncertainly at Yukito. She was still a little wary of Link after what Syaoran had told her about him, but she couldn't let Yukito know that. "H-hai! I'll be back in a minute, Yukito-san!"

Yukito gave her a nod. Secretly, he had another reason for wanting her to go. He thought that Sakura should get out and see places and experience things without being distracted by her feelings for him, because in the end when she confessed, he knew he would have to turn her down. Like Syaoran, Yukito had someone else who was very close to his heart. He loved Sakura, but he loved her like a little sister, not like a girlfriend.

Once outside in the cool evening air, Sakura cautiously approached Link. The crickets were chirping, the sky a medium-blue. Link was holding something weird-looking, but he seemed harmless enough. She had to keep reminding herself of Syaoran's words to stay on any sort of guard at all. "What is it, Link-san?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound cheerful, and to keep all fear out of it. Somehow she thought being afraid of her tour guide would seem slightly rude on her part, and that was the last impression she wanted to give.

"Hi, Sakura. See this lens? If you look at that shield through it, you can learn all sorts of things. It's not dangerous. I'll go first to prove it." Link looked at the Mirror Shield through the lens. What Sakura didn't know was that Link had done this before and all he saw was his reflection. "Go on. I promise you'll be fine." He held the lens out for Sakura to take.

Sakura was deeply uncertain. Mirrors had all kinds of magical properties, not to mention what the Mirror Clow Card had done to her Oniichan! Should she trust Link? What if what Syaoran had been going to tell her was that looking through the lens would cause a swift and painful death?! But no, that didn't seem right… he'd been blushing, as if embarrassed to tell her something. But what?

Well, if Link had looked through it, she mused, it could hardly be deadly. And she really wanted to stay on Link's good side. After only a moment's hesitation, Sakura took the lens from his hand and looked at the mirror's surface.

Suddenly she was hit by an overpowering epiphany. She couldn't have told you why or how, but suddenly Sakura's feelings for Yukito all seemed to fade to dust as she realized once and for all why she'd been so upset when Syaoran had been ignoring her.

She loved him.

He was her number one.

Now all she had to do was tell him. She hoped he felt the same way. She had to tell him. Tonight. Hope for the best. But wait—wasn't he engaged to Meilin?! This could cause some problems…

With trembling hands, Sakura lowered the lens and handed it back to Link as politely as she could. "Thank you, Link-san."


	3. Tension

CHAPTER THREE: TENSION

Link could tell that Sakura was shaken, so he put a hand on her shoulder. "It will work out, I promise. Come on, let's go back to the hotel. I'm sure that Tomoyo will be glad to give you moral support." Link smiled. Everything was going well. Suddenly he sensed a dark presence, but it vanished as soon as it appeared. Link made a mental note to talk to Impa about it as soon as he could.

Sakura smiled weakly. Did Link know what she had felt? But then, he'd felt it too, hadn't he, when he'd looked through the mirror? "Thank you," Sakura told him again, struggling to get up. Somehow, aside from leaving her shaken, she also felt somehow drained. "Link-san…" She paused, realizing how stupid the words she longed to say might sound. "Link-san, does that mirror show people the… one they love most?" _Because now I realize I have feelings for Syaoran-kun, and I don't know what to do._

"That's one of the things it can show you," Link explained. "It can also show you where you need to go, or what you need to do to accomplish your goal."

Sakura gave a nod. "H-hai!" She slowly walked back into the building and, as Link had suggested, searched for her friend to offer words of advice. "Tomoyo-chan?"

She'd barely said it loudly enough for someone standing next to her to hear, but the ever-attentive Tomoyo was at Sakura's side in an instant. "What is it, Sakura-chan?" she asked in delight.

"Um… um, Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura looked at her toes, her face growing red. In fact, she probably looked exactly like Syaoran had when he was about to tell her what he'd been going to after dinner. "I… I think I love…"

Was Sakura going to confess to Tomoyo that she loved her?! This was too good to be true! But no, that couldn't be it. Tomoyo knew that it was Syaoran Sakura loved. But she hadn't known that Sakura knew it herself. This was a surprise. "Yes, Sakura-chan?" she asked politely. If Sakura wanted to tell her, then it had to be Sakura to say it, not Tomoyo.

"I… I think… I think I'm in love with Syaoran-kun," Sakura blurted.

Tomoyo gave a knowing smile. "Ah, so you've finally figured it out, Sakura-chan." Sakura had figured out that she loved him on her own! Good for her! Now all that was left was for Syaoran figure out that she did too.

————

Link walked over to the well and played the Nocturne of Shadow. A mind link was established between him and Impa.

_Impa, I felt a dark presence for a brief time. Any ideas?_

_None yet, Link. The princess and I are trying to figure out what happened as we speak. I'll inform you as soon as we discover anything worth noting._

_Thanks, Impa._

The mental connection terminated, and Link headed to the inn to get some hard-earned rest.

————

Syaoran felt it himself: a dark presence. This country had a limitless amount of magic stored in infinite people and objects. He would have to investigate tomorrow. For now, the fifth graders were going to a café.

Sakura sat next to Tomoyo and ate her cake, which was indeed the best she'd ever tasted. She ordered two so she could take one back to the room for Kero-chan. Imagine her eating Hyrule's cakes but not saving any for him? Kero would burn her room to the ground!

Tomoyo noted how quiet Sakura was and decided not to press her. She had some difficult things to think through tonight. Syaoran, however, avoided her entirely. He couldn't face her until he confessed. It was just too awkward otherwise. And if he'd asked Sakura, she probably would have said the same thing, only as to her confession as apposed to his own. Stupid love! Why did it have to ruin such a great friendship?!

————

"Kero-chan! We're back!" Tomoyo took the liberty of talking for both of them tonight. Sakura was tired and confused. It had been a long day for all of them, but especially for the new Master of the Clow. Tomoyo wanted to do whatever she could to help out.

Kero zoomed into Tomoyo's arms with a huge smile. "Yay! I'm so happy! I'm so happy!" He twirled around in the air, circling around the two girls several times before he settled in front of them.

"Someone's excited to see us," said Tomoyo with a grin.

"He just wants the cake," mumbled Sakura sleepily. Tomoyo laughed and handed over Kero's food in a little box with a ribbon.

Kero let out a little cry of happiness and tore open the wrapping to get to the cake inside. Tomoyo giggled and informed him of the day's events, but Sakura climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Though she was exhausted, she knew it would be hours before she fell asleep.

_S-Syaoran-kun… how can I tell him how I feel when he's engaged to someone else?_

————

In the center of Hyrule Field, there is a ranch. This ranch is run by three people: Talon, his daughter Malon, and Ingo. At this moment, Malon was standing in the middle of the corral singing her mother's song. Her father walked out into the corral and stood next to her.

"You sound just like your mother, you know."

"Thanks, Dad. I wish I remembered more about her, but at least I'll always have your stories."

"Heh, well, enough about the past," Talon said with a smile. "I received a letter that a group of foreign students are visiting here tomorrow."

"Oh!" cried Malon. "There's so much to do! I'll have to get up early tomorrow and—"

"Don't worry so much, Malon. Did I mention that the tour guide is that Link character you're always talking about?"

Malon's face turned almost as red as her hair. "_Dad!_ Now I need to get up even earlier!"

"I told you not to worry, Malon." Talon shook his head. "Ingo and I agreed to take care of the extra chores tomorrow so that you have time to plan a tour of the ranch. And before you ask, you will get to spend time with Link during the horseback-riding lessons."

"Thanks, Dad." Malon exhaled. "You really know how to calm me down."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't, but it's time for bed."

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, they retired to their rooms. Malon fell asleep, dreaming of her hour alone with her Fairy Boy the next day.

————

The next morning, Sakura woke up and dressed by Tomoyo's side, still slightly groggy with the weight of her feelings on her shoulders. She finally decided not to worry about it. Syaoran probably thought of her as a jerk for not spending time with him last night. If they couldn't be each other's number one loves, she at least wanted to be his friend.

After saying goodbye to Kero and promising they would bring him back food from the ranch, the two set off for the hallway downstairs to meet with the other fifth graders. Sakura spotted Syaoran standing moodily off by himself. There was no time like the present. She hurried to his side and gave him a cheerful smile.

"Good morning, Syaoran-kun!"

Syaoran's face flushed crimson. Sakura wondered suddenly if he somehow knew how she felt. But then, he'd always been like that. Poor Syaoran. He was so shy!

"G… g'morning… Sakura."

————

As the group arrived at the ranch, Link could feel his heart beating faster. He tried his best to calm himself down, and he succeeded to a certain degree, as he was able to give the introductory speech.

"This is Lon Lon Ranch. Today you will be learning about life here. You will have an opportunity to sample the famous Lon Lon Milk, which is the milk that the Royal Family drinks. You will also have a horseback-riding lesson. There will be other activities as well, so you will have plenty to do. Ah, here's Malon, one of the owners of the ranch."

Link was starting to have trouble focusing on anything but Malon—the way her hair seemed to flow even though there wasn't any wind. Of course, the same could be said about his hat, but that wasn't the point. Link was in a different world and he knew it.

"Ooh, Malon-san is so pretty!" Sakura whispered to Tomoyo, who smiled and nodded. "And horseback-riding lessons! That sounds really fun!"

"I'm glad to see you're cheerful again, Sakura-chan," said Tomoyo, who couldn't take her eyes off of Sakura's playful smile.

"What about you, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura forced her grin to continue even though her heart was suddenly racing. "D-do you think horseback-riding lessons sound fun?"

Syaoran's red face gave a nod. "Meilin and I took lessons together one summer, but she enjoyed it more than I did. We were maybe seven, and I haven't been since, so it'll be good to try it again."

Sakura's heart gave a huge thump. _"Meilin and I…"_ Syaoran and Meilin had a whole past together that Sakura knew nothing about. The two of them had grown up together, experienced the same things, and been there for each other through thick and thin. Sakura had only known Syaoran for maybe a year at most. How could she expect to compete with someone like Meilin?

"Hi, everyone!" Malon announced cheerfully. "I'm Malon, and today you'll be learning about life here at Lon Lon. If you'll follow me, I'll show you the barn."

Link followed the group into the barn. At least, he appeared to follow the group. He was really just following Malon. Navi flew out of his hat and flew around his head.

"Wha? Oh, it's you, Navi. Thanks for snapping me out of that. I could have tripped."

"Don't mention it, but you've got to pull it together. You have an hour alone with her during the lessons. That's your chance!"

"Right, chance. Got it."

"You can do it, Link," said Navi encouragingly. "I believe in you."

"I'm glad someone does."

"With that attitude, you'll never get anything done!"

Link thought for a moment. "You're right, Navi. I know that this will work out. I just have to follow through."

"That's the spirit! You just need to keep your cool until it's time for the lessons."

"I can do that." Link sounded a lot more confident than he had back at the village.

————

_I've got to tell him… forget about Meilin-chan; I've got to tell him…_

_I've got to tell her… forget about Tsukishiro-san; I've got to tell her…_

_But they're in love with someone else!_

_Don't think like that! If you don't confess soon, you're going to explode and you know it!_

Completely oblivious to the fact that the same thing was going through both of their minds, Sakura and Syaoran walked together in silence to the barn for horseback riding. Tomoyo stood in the middle, knowing both of their secrets yet harboring her own, just smiling. Just smiling.

_I really should tell Sakura-chan how I feel, but… she's in love with Li-kun. I promised I would tell on field day last year. I promised myself, I promised her. But… Sakura-chan… how will she react? I know she doesn't love me back, and I don't want to ruin our friendship. But I've got to tell her. Somehow._

_I've got to tell Syaoran-kun how I feel!_

_I've got to tell Sakura how I feel!_

…_but how…?_

————

Link and Malon walked slowly around the ranch, talking about trivial things and telling jokes. Suddenly Link stopped laughing. "Malon, there's something very important I need to tell you." Link made sure that they had stopped walking within earshot of Syaoran and Sakura.

"What is it, Link?" Malon asked, concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Link assured her hurriedly. "It's just that, well… for a while… what I mean is… can I start over?"

Malon laughed. "Sure, Link. So what did you want to say?"

Link mumbled something and looked at his feet.

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'I love you.' Okay! There! I said it! Is everybody happy now?" Link looked around as if he expected an affirmative answer form a tree or the house.

Malon, on the other hand, was still processing the information. _He loves me? Am I asleep? I should say something!_

Instead of saying something, Malon half walked, half fell towards Link, who caught her gracefully in his arms. They stayed like that for a while, until Malon managed to make out the words, "I love you too." The pair sat down against a tree together, mentally drained.

————

"Why are Link-san and Malon-san lying against that tree?" Sakura asked innocently as the group finally approached the barn. "Doesn't Malon-san need to show us around? I'll go ask them." She started off, heading for the tree, when Tomoyo grabbed her arm.

"Sakura-chan…" Tomoyo shook her head very slightly, as if scolding a naughty but lovable puppy. "Let Link-san and Malon-san have some time alone."

"But why?" asked Sakura blankly.

Tomoyo grinned slyly. "Well, wouldn't you want some time alone with the person you loved without being interrupted, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's face turned from pale to flaming in half a second. "H-hai," she muttered. _I'd love some time alone with Syaoran-kun._

"We should… set up something back at the hotel," said Syaoran shiftily. Sakura looked up in shock. "You know," Syaoran went on, even redder now. _Why does she look so surprised?_ "For you to get some time alone with Tsukishiro-san?"

Sakura, gaping, managed to slowly close her mouth. She'd thought Syaoran had been talking about the two of them! Yukito-san… she liked him a whole not, but not like _that_, at least not anymore. But of course Syaoran wouln't want to be alone with her, because he had his own person he loved most, right?

"If only Meilin-chan hadn't gone back to Hong Kong," Sakura told him shakily. "Then you and Meilin-chan could have some time alone together too, Syaoran-kun."

Syaoran's face blushed a deep crimson. "M-Meilin?!"

Sakura nodded. "Mei-lin-chan," she said slowly, in case he hadn't heard her the first time. "You know, since the two of you are engaged and all? You deserve some time alone."

Syaoran looked at his toes. Of course Sakura would think he loved Meilin. He had sworn to marry her unless he found another girl he loved more. Now he'd found her, all right: Sakura. But Sakura didn't return his feelings, so she wanted him to be with Meilin, even though he didn't really love her.

"Thanks," Syaoran muttered quietly. "But Meilin's not here right now. It's just… the three of us."

"H-hai!" Sakura tried to smile. Both their faces now were the color of the brightest fire trucks now. Tomoyo stood beside them, understanding both sides but never interfering. This wasn't her place to do so. Her time for love was not now. Now was Sakura's.

————

Link and Malon would have stayed under the tree forever, but suddenly Link received a message from Impa.

_Impa, now is really not the best time._

_You need to draw the Master Sword again_,Impa said urgently.

_What?! Why?_

_We don't know for sure, but a dark cloud is looming over Hyrule. Something terrible is going to happen soon._

_I understand. I'll head to the Temple of Time as soon as I can._

Link turned to Malon seriously. "Impa said that something terrible is going to happen soon, and that I need the Master Sword."

Malon's face shifted to one of worry.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Link pledged. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Tell your father to bar the gates as soon as we leave."

"All right." Malon's voice was shaky.

"Everything will be fine, I promise." Link leaned in and gave Malon a brief kiss before standing up and gathering the students together. "Unfortunately, it's time to go back to the inn, but I hope you enjoyed your stay at the ranch," he informed them.

The students grumbled amongst themselves and muttered about not having enough time. Chiharu spoke up, being very fond of animals, "But what about horse-back riding lessons, Link-san?"

Sakura nodded. "I'd been looking forward to them too," she said, clearly disappointed.

"Maybe you could show Sakura-chan how to horseback-ride some other time, Li-kun," Tomoyo suggested gently.

Sakura's face lifted at once. "Really? Syaoran-kun as my teacher?"

Syaoran was taken aback. "No, Sakura—I mean I haven't since—I have no idea how to—I can't teach—"

"I don't mind," Sakura said with a smile. "That would be great!"

"O-okay," Syaoran said hesitantly. "I could t-try."

Sakura positively beamed. "Come on, Syaoran-kun." She held out her hand. Would he take it? It struck her that she'd done the same thing at the airport just yesterday, and it had seemed like simply a friendly gesture. Now, it seemed nothing but a sign of deepest passion. Would he take her hand or not?!

_All right, Syaoran. Calm down. She did the same thing at the airport, remember? Just take it._ Syaoran smiled back and slipped his hand into hers. Holding hands like such, they walked back to then hotel together.

————

As soon as they reached the inn, Link instructed the Royal Guard who was usually stationed at the mountain pass to instead guard the entrance to the village. Link called Epona and rode as fast as he could to the market. Once there, he dashed into the Temple of Time and walked up to the Sword resting in the pedestal. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the hilt and pulled the Master Sword out once again. Now he was ready.

Suddenly, there was a crash of thunder and a rush of wind. Link ran outside to see a dark cloud covering the sky, as well as an immense evil presence. Link could see the emergency evacuation path to Kakariko had been opened, and that the only people left in the market were soldiers. Link leaped onto Epona and rode back to the village as fast as he could.

————

Almost as soon as they were back at the inn, Syaoran and Sakura both felt it. He looked at her with an expression dead serious, his face its normal pale color again. When danger was afoot, there was no time for love.

"You feel it, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, her face its normal color as well. This wasn't about their relationship, she reminded herself, but their duties. "Hai, I do. What do you think it is?"

Tomoyo looked worried. "Sakura-chan?"

"A huge magical presence," Syaoran impatiently explained, "different from anything else in this country. It gives off such bad vibes—there no way it can be anything good."

Sakura piped up just then. "And it's getting closer."

As everyone rambled off to their rooms, Kero somehow got the door open to the girls' and escaped down the hallway. Sakura saw him coming and enveloped him in her arms so no one would see him. "Kero-chan! What are you doing?"

"He feels it too," Syaoran said simply. "Let's go."

Sakura turned. "Huh?"

"Let's go. We can't let this thing come forward unmatched."

Finally she understood. Sakura gave a quick nod and followed Syaoran outside. "Let's."

————

"_Key that hides the forces of the stars… reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, by the covenant command you…_

"_RELEASE!"_

As the key around her neck turned into a long, star-tipped staff, Syaoran pulled out his trusted keychain and turned it into a sword in his hands. Tomoyo ran inside to grab her video camera and a new tape of film, and then the four were off.

————

Link arrived at the village to see Sakura holding a staff and Syaoran holding a sword. He rode up alongside them. "This is something that neither of you have had any experience with. I should be telling you to go inside, but my adventure started when I was nine, so I guess I have to let you help out."

"We're eleven," snarled Syaoran, glaring the tour guide in the eyes. "And you can't stop us from helping even if you want to."

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried. "He said we could help!"

Syaoran's face grew red. Admittedly he hadn't really expected this and hadn't been paying attention. "I… okay."

"We do have a lot of experience with magic, Link-san," Sakura added to Link, though unlike Syaoran, she said it in a very polite voice. She gave him a smile. "I promise we won't be a burden!"

Syaoran was disgusted by her gooey politeness, but it was probably better to be nice to Link. Though Syaoran would never admit it, Link could probably overpower him in a minute, and if Link didn't want them coming, he could easily stop them.

"I'm coming too," Kero said loftily. "Unlike Sakura and the brat, I've got 300 years o' magical battles on my side. I'm good with this stuff."

"And I'm coming along to videotape Sakura-chan's heroic actions!" Tomoyo said joyously. Sakura could almost see hearts reflected in Tomoyo's eyes as she hugged her camera to her chest. "I can't miss one second where I could be filming one of Sakura-chan's adventures, Link-san!"

"Right," said Link, very businesslike. "The first thing we need to do is make sure that there's noting potentially threatening inside the village. Sakura, do you have a sword? When fighting monsters in Hyrule, you absolutely need a sword. If you don't have one, I can lend you one."

Sakura nodded. "H-hai! I've got one!" She was a little nervous using magic around Link, but she didn't want to be left behind. She pulled a Clow Card out from her pocket and swung the Star Wand down on it. "Card made by Clow! Lend your powers to my key! SWORD!" The Card disappeared, and her staff was replaced by a long, thin, expertly carved sword. She held it dramatically above her head for Link to see. "See?"

Link gave her an approving nod. "After we secure the village, we'll need to go out into the field to rescue anyone trapped outside. After that, we'll head to the market and check on the soldiers. If they aren't holding up, we'll cover them as they fall back to the village. Can you handle that?"

"Sounds like a good strategy," Kero agreed.

"Let's go," Syaoran said gravely. "There isn't any time to lose."


	4. Frustration

**NOTE: Sam told me to also give credit to Internalflamezero, who gave him the idea to include Majora in the story, although we didn't use Majora as much as he did and used it differently.**

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR: FRUSTRATION

The group of four searched the village and found it secure, so they headed out into the field. A huge gathering of monsters covered nearly every inch of grass.

"We're going to have to fight our way to the market," Link informed the others. He turned to Sakura and Syaoran then with a question: "Do you have a plan for getting Tomoyo through safely?"

Sakura put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Hmm… well… umm…"

Tomoyo looked at her with wide eyes. She _had_ to be able to cross! She couldn't film Sakura from all the way back here!

"The Float Card!" piped Kero suddenly, happy to have thought of something useful.

Sakura smiled. "Hai, that's right! Hold on a second…" She loosened her grip on the Sword and watched it turn back into the Star Wand, grabbing the Card as it fluttered down into the air. Then she pulled out a second Card. "Card made by Clow, lend your powers to my key! FLOAT!" What came out of the staff's end was a large, pink, mushroom-shaped object, hovering a few inches off the ground. She pointed the staff at Tomoyo, and the Float followed in her direction. Sakura gave Link a nod. "See? Tomoyo-chan can get across on the Float Card." Then she pulled out the first Card again. "SWORD! Now everything's fixed!"

"And I can get across the field to film Sakura-chan's wonderful adventures!" Tomoyo squealed in delight.

Link looked at the bubble surrounding Tomoyo approvingly. "Let's get going. Take down any monsters that get in your way, but don't waste time with extras." Link jumped into the field and spun around, sword charged with magic, creating a clearing around him. He then started to fight his way through the crowd and towards the castle. "Come on! This goes a lot faster with more people!" he yelled back to the edge of the field.

Syaoran flew into the battle and attacked the monsters head-on, using a fluid combination of magic and martial arts techniques. Watching him, Sakura was reminded painfully of how well he and Meilin had worked together to capture the Twin Card. How could Syaoran not have feelings for Meilin after something like that?

Sakura ran in after him, throwing the Sword at the monsters with startling ferocity, but only hitting the ones she needed to. Unlike Syaoran, who didn't care in the least, she didn't want to hurt anyone unnecessarily. Tomoyo floated beside them, holding her video camera out in front of her.

After a moment's hesitation, Kero seemed to realize that a stuffed animal would be in great peril in this particular battle. His wings grew large and engulfed his body, emerging a moment later as a huge, golden lion. He then flew after the monsters at breakneck speed, burning every one he came in contact with to the ground.

Once the group managed to fight off enough monsters to reach the drawbridge, Link realized that it was broken. "All right, you can float the three of you over there, and I can use the Hover Boots."

That's exactly what they did. Once inside the market, they saw the Royal Guards already retreating, just managing to hold off the group of monsters attacking them. "We can't let the monsters follow them to the village," explained Link. "Our work is almost done for today, so let's get this over with." With that, Link sprang into the fray and cut down a number of monsters with a single slice.

Syaoran followed him almost instantly, slicing through monsters with great precision. Sakura watched him, her body tingling with longing. How could she possibly ever be that good? There had to be some way she could impress him… and then her eyes fell on Kero, who was breathing fire on the monsters to make them back off. It seemed so effective, so majestic…

"Card made by Clow!" she cried, letting the Sword Card fall back into her pocket. She really wasn't thinking of her safety or anyone else's as she pulled out the other Card. All she wanted was to prove to Syaoran that she was strong too. "Lend your powers to my key!

"_FIREY!"_

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shrieked, but it was already too late. The monsters went up in flames, but then so did the road on which they stood…

Fortunately, Link had sensed the fire energy approaching and had summoned his Goron tunic. The fireproof garment had saved Link's life many times before this one. Syaoran, on the other hand, had no fireproof tunic. Link summoned the water medallion and cast a new spell that he didn't even know existed. Whatever the spell was, a huge amount of water sprung forth from the medallion, and Link used it like a fire hose, putting out the flames on the street and on Syaoran. The water eventually stopped spraying, and Link staggered around a bit, something that he always did every time he used a new spell.

Syaoran, now sopping wet, turned around and glared wildly at Sakura. "What the heck was that for?!"

Sakura flinched. "S-Syaoran-kun… I just wanted to… to help…"

"Well then, help in the normal way!" Syaoran spat. He couldn't believe that Sakura would do something that could burn him, that could burn herself! Something about her just made him so angry sometimes, though it was also the same thing that made him love her. Now, of course, he let the hatred consume him. "Use the Sword Card! That tour guide told you to use it, but did you listen? No!" He was shouting now, throwing out any word that came into his head. Each one pierced Sakura like a knife. "But no, you can't just be good, can you, Miss Master of the Clow? You have to be the BEST!" He shook his head. "Firey. Hmph. We all could have been KILLED thanks to YOUR need to be the BEST!"

Sakura stared down at the road, trying her hardest to fight back tears. She knew she'd failed when the world started to swim before her as water clogged up her eyes. She curled her hands into fists. Who did Syaoran think he was? "Oh y-yeah?" she cried, not having the strength to meet his eyes. "Well, Link-san s-saved you, d-didn't he? You should be g-grateful to him, but l-look at you! All you can t-think about is b-being a JERK!"

Syaoran's eyes grew gentler as he realized the depth of her pain. "Sakura…" He could hear the sobs behind her words. Had he really hurt her that much? _Great. Just… great. I set out at the beginning of the day to confess my love for her, and by the end we're screaming at each other._ "I'm sorry."

Sakura sniffled and finally met his eyes. Suddenly in that moment, he realized for the first time why she was really crying. "I'm so sorry, Syaoran-kun," she uttered, her voice practically a whisper now. "When Firey attacked the place where you were standing, I thought I'd lost you. I can't…" Her fists clenched. Her heart thumped. "…I can't lose you, Syaoran-kun. I just _can't_."

Syaoran approached her and took her into his arms, hoping they were warm and comforting as that of a parent. "Sakura…"

"I'm so sorry, Syaoran-kun," she sobbed into his chest. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you."

"Well, I'm the one that got upset," Syaoran reasoned quietly. "_I_ don't deserve _you_, Sakura."

Sakura hugged him tighter.

"Aww. What a nice ending for this scene."

Both Sakura and Syaoran jumped. "T-Tomoyo-chan!" cried Sakura, looking up again with another sniffle.

Tomoyo smiled slyly. "I caught it all on tape!" she sang.

Syaoran's face flushed at once. Sakura fell over. "H-hoeee… T-Tomoyo… chan…"

Link had watched the whole thing silently, but suddenly a thought burst into his head.

"THE RANCH!"

Link sprinted to the field and was relieved to see the ranch still standing. Unfortunately, there was also a group of monsters approaching it. "Why did I have to go into hero mode?" Link groaned.

"You mean where you focus on the threat to the largest number of people, not caring if ignoring other threats will interfere with your personal life?" Navi asked.

"Yeah, but isn't that kind of a mouthful?" Link agreed. "FARORE'S WIND!"

Link warped to the pathway that led to the ranch and drew his bow. Knocking a light arrow, he aimed into the center of the group and fired. The light energy from the arrow was more than enough to defeat the monsters. _The others will be following me any minute now to see what happened. _Link remained on guard until the group of three arrived.

————

Syaoran had seen Link's blast of wind from afar watched in awe; Sakura was too busy letting out the last of her tears. Finally she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and announced that she was ready to go. Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo ran to catch up with Link. But when they arrived at the ranch…

"Where's Kero-chan?" piped Tomoyo. "Wasn't he with us before?"

Sakura opened and closed her mouth several times. "Oh, no… _Kero-chan_…"

Syaoran put his head in his hands. _Great. Losing the Beast of the Seal? That's the last thing we need right now. And Sakura had just calmed down, too!_

Link stared blankly at the children. "How could he possibly get lost?" Despite himself, his voice betrayed his exasperation.

Sakura shrugged. "_I_ don't know!" Her voice was very high-pitched and defensive. This was getting to be _way_ too much to handle in one day. "Maybe he… didn't see where we were going or something!"

"Well, Kero-chan _is_ a very powerful magical creature," Tomoyo announced, trying to assuage Sakura's fears. "I'm sure he's fine and he'll catch up to us soon." Sakura looked like she was on the brink of tears again. Ooh. Not good. Tomoyo looked to Syaoran for assistance. "Right, Li-kun?"

Syaoran flushed. "Uhh… right, Daidouji-san," he muttered. "Cerberus probably got distracted by cakes or something on the way home."

At this, Sakura smiled, all traces of tears gone from her eyes. "Thank you, Syaoran-kun," she said with a giggle. Syaoran started to protest, blushing furiously, but Sakura shook her head. "You're probably right. You always cheer me up."

Link sighed. "I'm sure he'll turn up eventually." Suddenly, however, he cried out in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his hand, where the Triforce mark was glowing brightly. "He's back." Link's voice was ominous. "He's not alone… Majora… no… impossible... AGHHHHH!"

The Triforce mark glowed so brightly that Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo had to shield their eyes. When the light faded, Link was breathing heavily and he looked as if he had seen a ghost. "I need to get Malon to the village, now." Link back-flipped over the gate to save time, and ran to the house to evacuate the ranch.

The threesome stared after him for a moment. "What was _that_ all about?" asked Sakura, worry heavy in her voice.

Syaoran sighed. "This country's magic is… unstable, somehow. I think this has to do with the magical presence we felt earlier. But we don't know anything about this," he clarified. "It's best to just let that tour guide handle it himself."

"But, Syaoran-kun!" cried Sakura. "What if that thing really hurts Link-san? We can't let something _bad_ happen to him!"

Syaoran blinked. Sakura didn't… she didn't _like_ Link, did she? "I'm sure Tourguide will be fine, Sakura," he muttered, keeping his eyes down.

————

Back at the village with the ranchers, Link was relieved to see Impa and Zelda waiting for him. "Zelda, you felt it, right?" he asked urgently.

"Of course I did," Zelda replied. "You know what this means, right?"

"That it's a good thing I have the Master Sword?"

"That, and we're going to have to pick up the pace with you magic training."

"Right. I knew that." Link was somewhat nervous. After all, Ganondorf and Majora working together would present an almost impossible challenge.

————

Sakura sighed and turned to face her friend. "Okay, Syaoran-kun." She clasped her hands together as if praying. "I just hope Link-san doesn't get hurt…"

Syaoran put a hand on her shoulder. _Oh, god. Sakura likes Link, doesn't she? It's so clear now, why she used Firey. She wanted to impress Link, not me. She's over Tsukishiro-san, but now she likes someone else._ "I'm sure he'll be fine…" Syaoran struggled to keep this new pain out of his voice. If Sakura heard it, it would make her sad, and that was the very last thing he wanted. "…Sakura."

Sakura looked up into Syaoran's eyes, worry showing in every crevice of her face. _Link-san was the one who first showed me that I had feelings for Syaoran-kun! If he's not here to help me through confessing my true feelings, I don't know what I'll do…_ "You think so, Syaoran-kun?" she asked.

Syaoran took a deep breath. "Yes," he said gently, "I do."

————

Link, warping himself back to where the group was situated after he had made sure of Malon's safety, was tired of watching the standstill between them. He decided to try again. He pulled out two small pieces of paper, wrote "NOW!" on both of them, and walked over to the two lovesick children. "Here—these have important information on them. Read them and follow any instructions." Link then walked over to the group of evacuees to find Malon.

Sakura and Syaoran both flushed as they read the single word. _NOW?!_

_Now… that tour guide means now I should go for it… like he told me yesterday… but can I trust him?_

_Now… Link-san means now I should tell Syaoran-kun how I feel… but how do I do that?_

"Sakura-chan? Li-kun?" Tomoyo asked curiously. "What's on the slips of paper Link-san handed you two?"

Both blushed on cue and stammered, "N-nothing!" in perfect unison.

Tomoyo smiled knowingly. "I see."

Syaoran stared at Sakura. _What could hers say? That tour guide didn't… he didn't tell Sakura I love her, did he? But then why would he hand me this?_

Sakura stared at Syaoran. _What could his say? Link-san didn't… he didn't tell Syaoran-kun I like him, did he? But then why would he hand me this?_

_Augh… I'm so confused…_

Sakura and Syaoran looked up and met each other's eyes at the same time. Both were curious about the other's piece of paper, but neither wanted to be rude. Syaoran blushed. Sakura smiled apologetically. Finally they said together, "What's on your slip?"

Both blushed. Neither knew who should go first.

"Oh, umm," Syaoran muttered, looking down, "it says…" He could lie about this, he knew, and Sakura would never know the difference. But somehow he felt terrible lying to the one he loved. He would tell her, but she'd never understand its meaning. "Umm… it says 'now,'" he muttered softly.

"'Now'?!" cried Sakura incredulously. Syaoran was startled by the urgency in her voice. "But that's… that's what _mine_ says!"

Syaoran's face flushed brighter. "H-huh? What did Tourguide mean by yours?"

Sakura blushed as well. "I… dunno," she lied. How could she confess this now? What if his had meant now he should call up Meilin or something? "W-what does yours mean, Syaoran-kun?"

"I don't know either," Syaoran said quickly. "Umm, this is weird." What if hers meant that now she and Link should get together? There was no way to know for sure.

"Yeah, since neither of us know what it means," said Sakura, even faster.

"Yeah… heh… it certainly is weird."

————

Link finally found Malon; she was helping out at the village's small farm. "You just couldn't stay away from animals, could you?"

"Link!" Malon cried. "I was just about to look for you." She hugged him.

"Don't worry about the ranch," Link assured her. "Even Ganondorf would have a hard time breaking through the magical wards that we put there."

Malon frowned. "Then why did we have to leave?"

"We need to have everyone in one place so that nobody misses any important information. And I also wanted you closer to where I was going to be staying."

Malon smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

"Link, it's time to start training!"

Link fell down as he saw Impa standing over him, the expression on her face not betraying any amusement.

"Fine. I'm on my way," Link grumbled. "Malon, I know that you hate to sit on the sidelines, and you can probably find a way to help out around town. Also, I'll keep you posted on any information you might need or want." Link stood up. "I love you and I'll see you soon."

"I love you too, Link. Don't train _too_ hard. That defeats the purpose."

Link made a mental note to tell Impa that, because he didn't think she knew.

————

After a little while, when all three children were convinced that the magical battles were over for the day, Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo trudged back to the hotel, confused and Kero-less. Tomoyo had turned off her video camera for once, and the three arrived in the hotel's sitting room considerably dispirited.

"_There_ you three are!"

Terada-sensei ran at the little group, his eyes wide and shining with relief. "We thought you'd got lost out there! We were so worried!" The other students stood behind him, breathing sighs of happiness that the last members of their class were safe. Terada-sensei was happy, yes, but his face also showed another emotion: suspicion. "Where _were_ you three, anyway?"

Sakura blinked. She was a terrible liar. "Oh, um, Terada-sensei, you see—"

"Link-san wanted our help with something, Sensei," Tomoyo supplied helpfully. She could lie easily. It came naturally to her, somehow. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you where we were going, but it was really urgent. But we're back now."

Terada-sensei seemed to think this answer over for a minute. Finally seemed to accept it and addressed everyone in the room together. "All right. Everyone's had a long day. Why don't you all go up to your rooms?"

————

By the time Link had finished his training for the day, he could barely stand. Nevertheless, he was smiling. He had learned four new spells today, not counting the water spell, and he had even managed to hold off Impa for a good thirty seconds in a full out magic duel.

When he returned to the inn, Malon was waiting for him outside. "Are you okay?" Link asked. "You look a little nervous."

Malon frowned uncomfortably. "Since there are so many refugees, they're doubling up all the rooms in the inn."

After a few seconds, Link spoke. "It's no big deal. Remember when I would come the ranch whenever I got injured and you made me stay in your room so I wouldn't leave before I healed?"

Malon seemed much less nervous now.

"See, you're looking happier already. Everything will be fine, trust me." Link smiled. "Come on, I'll help you unpack."

They walked inside together, feeling much more at ease.

————

The next morning was a flurry of action. When Link and Malon walked outside, there was a huge crowd outside the restaurant due to all the refugees. To compensate for the large number of guests, huge tables were set up with an immense amount of food on them that had been rescued from the Castle.

After breakfast, Link felt like he was caught in a tornado. He needed to go check on the students and oh, could he find a lost dog, and while he was at it, did he have time to sort supplies? By the time things finally calmed down, it was noon, and Link was already half asleep. He pulled out a red potion and drank it, the healing powers restoring his energy. He decided to walk around and see if there were any small tasks to be done before he had to go train, just to pass the time.

Link strolled around the village, looking for something that needed fixing, carrying or both. He didn't see anything, so he decided to go up to the top of the windmill and keep lookout. Not that he needed to, but he was really bored. Using his hookshot, Link was at the top of the windmill in no time. He kept watch until Impa called for him to train. For the first time he could remember, Link was glad to be headed to Impa.

————

At Hyrule Field, a large group of monsters began making their way towards Kakariko Village, lead by an enormous Darknut. This day was about to get very interesting.

———

Sakura and the others went to breakfast as they had the day before and ate the good Hylian food with gusto. Sakura and Syaoran had a particularly awkward moment when they both reached for the rice at the same time, but after that they thankfully got along as usual. Both were desperately afraid of two things: a fight, or worse, a confession of love. They would do anything to avoid a situation that would prompt either. Tomoyo watched them with little giggles, understanding both sides of the equation. This was amusing in its own way, but she _did_ hope Sakura would hurry up and tell him. The suspense was really starting to get to her.

After breakfast, an even awkwarder situation came to be: Yukito approached them. "Good morning, Sakura-chan," he said happily.

She blushed. _What to say…?_ "Good morning, Yukito-san," Sakura replied with a smile.

Yukito was taken aback, and so was Syaoran as he watched from a few feet away. Her voice was friendly as ever, but it lacked the awe and floatiness it normally contained when she talked to her crush. What was missing? Romantic feelings. Now that she knew about her feelings for Syaoran, she didn't feel anything more for Yukito than as if he was her other brother alongside Toya.

Of course, Syaoran thought that now that she had feelings for Link, she didn't need Yukito anymore.

The students gathered in the main hallway to await whatever they were doing today. After the excitement of the day before, all had high expectations of today's wondrous adventure. Nothing in this country could ever be dull.

After a few minutes, Terada-sensei frowned and looked at his watch. _It's well past the time of our tour,_ he thought. _Wasn't Link-san supposed to meet us already?_ He turned to his students, all talking amongst themselves. He picked out one at random… who should go and find Link? He knew Kinomoto had a good relationship with their tour guide, but she was talking with one of the hotel staff, so he didn't want to butt in. Hmm… there was Daidouji, but she didn't like to be away from Kinomoto for more than a few seconds at a time; he knew that from experience. What about Li? He'd seen Li and Link talking earlier. That could work. Plus, Li was a strong individual and could most likely find anyone. Terada-sensei had confidence that this would work.

"OY! LI!" called Terada-sensei. Of course, Syaoran quickly came over. "Do me a favor, will you? Go find our tour guide and tell him we're ready to go. He's ten minutes late."

Finding Link, huh? Syaoran didn't really want to be alone with that tour guide, but at least it wasn't Sakura going. Then the Sakura and Link… he didn't even want to think about it. "Hai," Syaoran said agreeably, and nodded before heading off.

Once outside the building, it was a cinch to whip out his Rashinban and use the light to find the source of a magician's powers. Finally, scowling, he came upon what appeared to be magical training. Somehow Link's moves reminded him of his own training back in Hong Kong. He called in the loudest voice he could, "HEY, TOURGUIDE! TERADA-SENSEI SAYS YOU SHOULD BE BACK AT THE INN WITH US!"

"Huh? OOF!"

While Link was distracted, Impa had landed a strong blow that sent him flying into a tree. "Right," Link agreed. "I'm on my way."

————

When they returned to the group, Link pulled out his ocarina. "Now, I'm going to warp us to the forest," he told the students. "You should know that the Kokiri are much older than they look, but they stop growing at age nine. Also, if you get lost in the woods, you will be cursed, so _stay with the group_. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Kokiri are very wary of outsiders and it took a lot of convincing for them to agree to let you visit."

"Age nine?" muttered Syaoran, more to himself than Link. "Isn't how old Tourguide said was when he started having adventures?" But then he was distracted by Sakura waving like mad.

"Syaoran-kun!" Forgetting her feelings, she approached him as an old friend. He flushed. "You found Link-san! Great job!"

_She's so happy that I found Tourguide, isn't she,_ Syaoran thought with a sigh. Did Sakura really care about him? Or was she just happy he'd brought Tourguide to her? Syaoran tried to smile. Tomoyo filmed.

"S-supposedly it's really dangerous in the forest," Syaoran said, for lack of anything else. "The Kukorii or something don't like outsiders…"

Sakura smiled. "I always feel safer when I'm with you, Syaoran-kun."

What a romantic moment! Syaoran could hardly breathe.

Sakura noticed this too, however, and quickly shut her mouth. He looked so tense. Was he grossed out by the thought of the two of them as a couple?

"…and anyway, I got my Clow Cards!" Sakura added hastily. "If these, uh, Kokiro people attack us, I can knock 'em senseless with the Cards! Whoo!"

This time Syaoran genuinely laughed. "Right," he added. The romantic moments were nice, but these where they were no more than friends made him happy too.

"Now, stand close to me and I'll take us there," Link continued. Sakura and Syaoran snapped up their heads in attention. Link played the Minuet of Forest, and they were off the Lost Woods.


	5. Complication

CHAPTER FIVE: COMPLICATION

Link gave everyone a tour of the Lost Woods, pointing out the various magical things that it was home to. They finally reached the huge hollowed-out log that served as a pathway to the Kokiri Village.

Fado was waiting just inside. "Hi, Link! Are these the people you said were going to be visiting?"

"Yeah, they're from Japan," Link informed him, "and I promise they won't bother anyone."

"All right," Fado agreed. "I'll go let everyone know that you're here."

The day was full of talking, looking, and learning for the visitors. Unfortunately, the time to go seemed to come all too soon, and before they knew it, they were warping back to the village. Once there, however, Link was surprised to see all of the refugees being directed into the graveyard and the soldiers setting up defensive positions.

Link jogged over to one of the soldiers. "What's going on?"

"A battalion of monsters is about to reach the gate," the soldier responded. "They're being led by a Darknut."

"Position archers in the windmill; they should be able to hold them back until we're done setting up down here." Link casually gestured towards Sakura and Syaoran using the signal that they'd come up with: snapping your fingers three times behind your back.

Syaoran nodded, assuming a serious expression and slipping his fingers into his pocket. There he fingered the keychain that would become a sword, waiting for the moment when it was just the three of them and he could let it become what it really was. Sakura, though her face was one of worry, couldn't stop her hand from flitting to the Star Key around her neck. Somehow it was comforting for both of them to know that their weapon of choice was available.

Tomoyo saw the signal too, and tightened her grip on her video camera. She hadn't had time to film Sakura in a costume lately, but at least Sakura was wearing a sweater this morning that Tomoyo had made. For now that would have to do. She made a mental note to pack a costume for Sakura in her handbag tomorrow.

"Should the students return to the inn?" Terada-sensei asked Link nervously. "If, uh, these monsters"—What were they really? Maybe an enemy tribe, he mused.—"are dangerous, I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Umm…" Link wasn't sure how to respond. After all, he couldn't tell Terada-sensei to leave just two of his students here, but at the same time Link didn't want Sakura and Syaoran to feel left out. "Follow the crowd to the graveyard. That's the safest place right now. Make sure to follow all instructions. If anyone gets lost in the crowd, they'll be taken care of, don't worry. Now go."

Terada-sensei gave a nod and then turned to his students. "ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE! COME ON, WE'RE GOING THIS WAY!"

The students filed after him one by one, until Syaoran grabbed the arms of Sakura and Tomoyo and pulled them behind a tree as to not be seen. Suddenly Sakura was hit with an epiphany. "Syaoran-kun! Do you think… do you think we'll find Kero-chan here?!"

Syaoran's eyes widened. "Maybe, Sakura. I don't know."

Sakura lit up, but there was still worry in her eyes that only the two who loved her could see.

Once everyone had left, the three emerged from behind the tree and appeared in front of Link. Syaoran pulled out a full-length sword, and Sakura held the Key out in front of her. "Key that hides the forces of the stars… reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, under the covenant command you…

"RELEASE!"

Link pulled out his sword and shield and got into a battle stance. Suddenly, a horde of monsters stormed into the village.

"You guys have good timing," quipped Link as he sprang forwards and cut down three monsters. The battle seemed to suddenly become more intense, since Link was soon surrounded, as were his young friends. Link began to expertly take down the monsters in groups of two or three.

Syaoran sliced through monsters as always, though he kept his eye on Link's moves. They were strong and powerful, a mixture of magic and swordplay as his were. He wondered where Link had learned his stuff; Syaoran's powers were distinctly Chinese, and he'd never known any other culture to teach the same techniques.

"SWORD!" Sakura's staff turned into the Card as she wished, and she stabbed the monsters haphazardly left and right. She wasn't as good with a weapon as Syaoran was, but part of the Sword Card's magic came with expert fencing skills for its holder. That's what made it so dangerous in the wrong hands. Of course, Sakura's swordplay was almost entirely magical moves, more western in feel than Syaoran's Chinese ones. She didn't have as much strength in each blow as he did, but she didn't want to risk using Firey again. Last time she'd almost _killed_ Syaoran… and they still hadn't found Kero, after all!

Once most of the monsters were gone, Link dashed towards the Darknut, eager for a challenge. The immense knight crossed swords with him a few times, but ultimately could not keep up with the more agile hero. Link slashed off the Darknut's armor and leapt into the air, bringing his sword down on the knight's head. The rest of the monsters were made short work of by the guards, Link, and his company of magical assistants.

After the battle, Link walked over to the entrance of the village and gazed out at the dark cloud emanating from Hyrule Castle, now Ganon's Castle. "It's time," was all he said as the rest of his group walked up next to him.

Syaoran glared at Link suspiciously. _It's time._ Wasn't that what Mizuki-sensei had said right before the Final Judgment?! Did this mean that something similar was about to happen? What could it be?

"Time?" asked Sakura innocently. "Time for what, Link-san?"

Tomoyo lowered her camera. "Does it have to do with that cloud, Link-san?" she asked politely, pointing forward at the castle. Everyone's eyes followed her arms to the black cloud in question.

"Yes, it does," Link answered ominously. "As soon as we finish the tour, we march on Ganon and Majora. This will be the fight of your lives, so you should all get ready." With that, Link turned and walked off, thinking about what he was going to say to Malon.

There was a long pause. Then finally Syaoran seemed to realize what was going on. "Urk…" He turned and ran to keep up with Link, and Sakura and Tomoyo had no choice but to follow.

"Tourguide, who are Ganon and Majora?" Syaoran demanded. "Tell us what's going on. NOW."

Link whirled around, a dark expression on his face. "They're the two greatest evils in the world," he snapped at Syaoran. "Are you up to it? Because if you're not, you should leave. Also, I don't take orders from you, so if you want to know what's going on, you _ask_. Got it?" Link was not in the mood for an argument. Things were bad enough already without one.

Syaoran snarled, but soon he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. It wouldn't do to quibble in the midst of a battle. And he really did want to be included. "I'm sorry, Tourguide," he muttered. "I'm up to it, and so is Sakura." He turned to Tomoyo then with a grave expression. "But you should go home, Daidouji-san. This could get really dangerous."

Tomoyo's eyes widened. Syaoran had never spoken to her this way before. "I'm sure it's no more dangerous than fighting Clow Cards, Li-kun," she told him sweetly.

Sakura looked down at the ground, avoiding Tomoyo's gaze. "I… I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan. But Link-san said… the 'two greatest evils in the world.' With the Clow Cards they just caused mischief. But these things could probably kill you." She pulled her head up then, her eyes pained and confused. "I don't want you to get hurt, Tomoyo-chan! You're my best friend!" It was hard for her to say this. So hard. But how would she be able to sleep at night, knowing that harm had come to Tomoyo because of her?

Tomoyo broke into her well-used speech once more, her tone hardening and words growing firm instead of sugar-sweet. "No! I can't go home now, Li-kun, Sakura-chan, right when the best part is about to begin! You two don't understand! I have to film Sakura-chan's adven—"

"Don't you get it?!" cried Syaoran suddenly, cutting her off and making her flinch. "We're trying to protect you! You have no magical powers, no way of protecting yourself, but you want to come just so you can make a little movie? This isn't a _game_, Daidouji-san! People get hurt! People DIE! We don't have time to babysit you while you watch for your own amusement!"

Dead silence followed.

"Sakura-chan…" Tomoyo reached out to her friend with some small hope of an argument in her favor.

"G-go back to the inn, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said, still looking down. "If anything happened to you, I'd… I'd…"

"But, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo seemed to realize she was fighting a lost cause, but she pressed on all the same. "Do you understand? I don't care about danger. I _need_ to film you. It's my life. _You're_ my life, Sakura-chan. Okay?"

"Why is… why is this so important to you?" Sakura asked quietly. "Why is it worth risking your life just to get a tape of me?"

"Because…" Tomoyo's hands gripped into fists as she stepped closer, her face a mere inch away. "Because I love you, Sakura."

But before anyone could register what was going on, Tomoyo turned and fled in the inn's direction.

Sakura looked up for the first time. Syaoran's eyes fell on her, waiting for how she would react. Sakura pulled a hand up to her chest as her eyes slowly filled with tears.

"Hoeee… _Tomoyo-chan_. I never knew."

"Sakura?" Syaoran reached for her hand, but she slowly pulled away.

Sakura loved Syaoran but he loved Meilin, and now she found that Tomoyo loved her. Things were indeed getting complicated within the little group's emotions. "_Tomoyo-chan_…"

Link was speechless. _Everything is going to fall apart if I don't do something._ He sat down on a rock and became lost in thought. "We have to fix this," he thought out loud. "We can't let your friendship fall apart, not now." Link was unaware of the fact that the people in question could hear him.

Sakura swiveled her head to see Link on the rock. "Hoe? Our… our friendship?" Her face flushed. Did he mean her and Tomoyo? Her and Syaoran? Syaoran and Tomoyo? She was so confused.

Link realized the cause of the misunderstanding. "I meant all three of you. We need to support each other. Once we work this out and finish preparing, then we'll be ready for the battle. I'm just not sure what to do right now." Link sighed. "It's too late to turn back, but we can't go forwards."

Syaoran nodded obediently for lack of what to say. He felt now, with Tomoyo's confession, the three of them were on delicate ground. What if Sakura returned Tomoyo's feelings and told her so before he could confess? "Hai."

"Link-san…" Sakura let out a serious breath. Syaoran turned his gaze to her, her short, beautiful hair, her kind eyes. "I don't know what to do or how I'm supposed to feel right now. I'm really, really confused. But I'll try to help you in any way I can. I promise! Besides, even if we _are_ facing two great evils…" Her eyes caught Syaoran's now, even though she was still addressing Link. "…I'm sure we'll be all right!"

Link smiled. "Thanks, Sakura." He stood up then and stretched his limbs. "We should get going. We have to visit the Zoras and Gorons today."

"Who are they, Link-san?" Sakura asked curiously.

"The Gorons are the rock people who live in the mountain. The Zoras are fish people who live near Lake Hylia. Tomorrow we'll be visiting the Gerudo, a race of warrior women who live in the desert. Oh, and I'll tell you about Ganondorf and Majora tonight if I can." Link walked over to the group of students who were already gathered, noticing that Tomoyo was now amongst them. He warped the group, along with Syaoran and Sakura, to Goron City.

Syaoran readied himself for the inevitable, keeping his keychain safely in his sweaty palm. He went over it in his head again, as he had been doing for the past few minutes, ever since Tomoyo had started the ball rolling. Once it starts, it can't stop until it reaches the bottom of the mountain. _Because… I love you. I love you, Sakura. I love you! I love you. I'm in love with you. You're my number one, Sakura. You're the one I love, Sakura. Sakura, I have feelings for you like you do for Tourguide. Meilin said that she was engaged to me until I found a girl I loved more than her, and that girl is you. I love YOU, Sakura. I LOVE you._ No matter how hard he tried, nothing sounded right.

Sakura, however, was watching Tomoyo. Tomoyo was whispering something into Naoko's ear, after which the two girls, plus Chiharu and Rika, all fell into a heap laughing. Sakura felt different, so separate from all of them. They were all so safe, so ignorant, with no trials in their lives except grades and boyfriends. Sakura had given up all that for the Clow Cards and magic. Why couldn't her be as simple as one of theirs? She was so, so different… but Tomoyo was different too. She'd detached herself from their grade, devoted herself to Sakura, completely isolated herself from the rest of the world. If Sakura failed her, Tomoyo would have no one, but Tomoyo had put that trust into Sakura. But why? How could anyone feel so strongly about one single person?

_Because… I love you._

Tomoyo had rolled the dice when she'd first picked up a camera, put herself and her life completely in Sakura's hands. But Sakura had let her fall.

————

The tour seemed to go by at lightning speed, and soon the students had a free time of sorts. Back at the village, Link saw Tomoyo standing by a tree and holding her video camera. He walked over to her and paused, watching her pose, her expression. Finally, he spoke. "Hey, are you all right?"

Tomoyo turned, her long, silky black hair bouncing as she did so. Her finger drifted to the "stop" button on her camera as she gave Link a smile. "Of course, Link-san. Why would you think otherwise?" she asked sweetly.

"You didn't seem okay this morning. Do you want to talk about it?" Link offered, hoping for an affirmative. He was going to fix this.

Tomoyo's smile flickered only for a second. "I was a little annoyed that Li-kun wouldn't let me tape you three," Tomoyo admitted honestly. "But I'm really okay now."

"Tomoyo, I was there. I saw what happened." Link was chancing a total lack of comforting skills. He had never had to do something like this before. "You don't need to lie. Talk to me, please."

Tomoyo sighed deeply, knowing there was no way out, and met his eyes. "Link-san, what I said was true. I love Sakura-chan, and I have ever since I met her in the third grade. But… I don't need her to love me back for me to be happy. I care about her happiness more than her being my girlfriend." She muttered the last bit, so quiet it was hard to hear, "Of course, I would be thrilled if she loved me back, but Sakura-chan loves Li-kun and there's nothing I can do about it. So I might as well be happy for her. It'll make me happiest if Sakura-chan is smiling."

Link grinned. This was going to work after all. "I think that you should tell Sakura that. She's really worried about you. I'll be there for moral support if you need it."

"Sakura-chan… is worried about me?" Tomoyo frowned. "I don't want her to feel bad because of me. Do you know where she is?"

"She's over by the inn, talking to some of your school friends," Link replied. "But before you go, I have to throw out an idea. Do you want to hear it?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Sure, Link-san. What is it?"

"You said that you would be happiest if Sakura was happy," Link went on. Tomoyo gave a little noise of agreement. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and we can put some… _things_ in motion. What do you say?"

Tomoyo smiled slyly in understanding. "You mean with Sakura-chan and Li-kun?" She held out her hand for Link to take. "Yes, I think that sounds wonderful."

Link shook Tomoyo's hand in a very businesslike fashion. "It's settled, then. Tomorrow will be all planned out. Now, we need a place, a time, and a way to get them to confess. Got any ideas?"

Tomoyo frowned thoughtfully. "Well, you know Hyrule better than I do, Link-san. What's the most romantic place in the country? They should confess there, maybe at sunset or something?"

Link thought for a moment. "Well, there's an island at Lake Hylia that many consider to be the most beautiful place in Hyrule. That should do nicely. The only real problem is getting them there."

Tomoyo nodded. "Just lead us there on the tour, and somehow get everyone to leave but Sakura-chan and Li-kun," she explained matter-of-factly. "As for confessing… I'll talk to Sakura-chan, and you talk to Li-kun. Maybe then we can at least convince one of them to."

"Right," Link agreed. "I can have most of the group go to the fishing hole, which will leave Sakura and Syaoran alone on the island. It's the perfect setup. I'll go talk to Syaoran now."

Link walked off to find the young magician and swordsman, and Tomoyo, after wishing him good luck, headed in the opposite direction to find the new Master of the Clow.

————

She was sitting on a bench, staring up at the sky. Her short brown hair delicately framed her face, her green eyes gentle and kind. She looked so peaceful, so serene. Tomoyo didn't ever want to make this perfect scene go away.

Unfortunately, she had to.

"Sakura-chan?"

Tomoyo asked this in the most polite, careful voice she knew how to, but Sakura still jumped a foot into the air. When she turned to face her friend, Tomoyo saw tear-streaks on her face. "T-Tomoyo-chan!" she squeaked. Her voice sounded hoarse from crying. Why hadn't anyone seen what was wrong? "W-what do you want, Tomoyo… Tomoyo-chan…?"

Tomoyo had had a whole speech planned out in her head before this, each line crafted to perfection. _I'__m sorry, Sakura-chan… I just want you to be happy… we can still be friends… listen, tomorrow is the perfect time for you to confess your love to Li-kun…_

But in one moment, every word vanished from her head. She spread her arms in a motherly way and engulfed Sakura in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Tomoyo," Sakura said softly, as she wrapped her arms around her friend. "But I love you like a best friend or a sister, nothing more. I… I hope I wasn't being mean or anything by avoiding you, but I didn't want to hurt you more than I had to."

"You haven't hurt me at all, Sakura-chan. You should have come to me right away," Tomoyo said, a worried expression crossing her face. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" Sakura sniffled pitifully. "I'm so worried about Kero-chan, and I thought you were mad at me, and I don't know what to do about Syaoran-kun and everything's just so, so—"

"It's okay, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo whispered in her ear comfortingly, interrupting Sakura's increasing level of hysterics. "I'm sure you'll be all right."

Through her tears, Sakura smiled. "I'm sure I'll be all right," she repeated hopefully.

————

Link found Syaoran sitting on a box next to the mini-archery range. Link decided to take a very direct approach so that Syaoran wouldn't try to avoid any questions. "Hey, what's up?"

Syaoran looked up instantly, his hands clenching into fists. "What do you want, Tourguide?" His words were angry, but without oomph, as if he wanted to hurt Link but was too tired.

"Why don't you trust me? I haven't done anything to you." Link wanted to clear up this issue before starting to fix the next one, since it would be much easier to convince Syaoran to confess if he trusted him.

Syaoran looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if it were obvious why. "I've been brought up never to trust people with strong magical abilities," he explained. "You never know who might be out to get you. I've been told it's really every man for himself. Or at least, that's what my Okaa-sama says."

"Uh-huh. Except I'm not out to get you; I want to help you." Link shook his head. "You need to tell her tomorrow. You won't have a better opportunity. There's a little island at Lake Hylia, we can get you alone with her, but you have to do the rest. So what do you say?" Link wasn't sure if he had said the right thing, but he knew that he at least had a chance.

Syaoran blushed, his attitude suddenly growing gentler at even the word "her," as they both knew well whom the girl in question was. Syaoran's hands clenched into fists once more, but this time it was from determination rather than anger. "I…" Did Sakura really love Link? And what about Tomoyo's feelings? Well, it wasn't like Syaoran would be asking Sakura out on a date tomorrow. He would be simply telling her a fact and seeing how she wanted to respond. If she liked Link, it wouldn't matter. She could always turn him down. But if somehow she returned Syaoran's love…

Syaoran took a deep breath. He could do this. "Okay, Tourguide, I'll… I'll try."

"Good." Link beamed. "I'd expected more of a fight from you, but I guess I wore you down. Trust me this once, and don't hesitate. You won't regret it. And good luck." Link left Syaoran then and walked over to the supply area to get ready for the battle looming over his conscience. Eventually, he ran out of ways to stall and approached Malon. "I have something important to say."

"What is it, Link?" she asked, startled by his arrival. "Is everything okay? You look so worried."

"I… I have to fight Ganon and Majora… soon," announced Link.

Malon's face changed from concerned to afraid. "How soon?" she whispered fearfully.

"I don't know," Link admitted. "It could be a month, a week, or just a few days."

Malon sighed. "I know that no matter what I say or do, I can't stop you from going, so will you at least promise me one thing?"

"Anything," Link replied at once.

"Then promise me that you'll come back."

Link was silent for a moment. Finally he replied, honestly and surely, "I promise."

————

Syaoran stood watching Link depart for long after was necessary. Tomorrow… he was going to do it. He was going to tell Sakura his true feelings, and nothing could possibly stop him.

"SYAORAN!"

Just then, Syaoran was thrown to the grown by brute force before he could figure out what hit him. His arms and legs were pinned to his sides as he was met by a limb-crushing hug and a shrill voice pierced his ears with his name.

"SYAORAN, SYAORAN, SYAORAN!"

Oh, God. It wasn't really her, was it? Just when he'd been about to confess, why did everything have to become so complicated?! He didn't love her as a girlfriend, but she was like a sister to him, and he didn't want to hurt her by turning her down. How could he tell Sakura his true feelings now, when this girl would likely be following him every moment of the day, outwardly expressing _her_ love for him?

"SYAORAAANNN!"

Her weight on him was painful, and he could barely breathe, but in capturing Clow Cards he'd suffered worse. Now the only blow she'd really hit him with was ironically the one that she would have thought to be a blessing. His body was fine, but she'd stabbed his heart.

"Hi… Meilin. What are you doing here?"


	6. Confession

CHAPTER SIX: CONFESSION

Syaoran finally managed to wriggle out from under Meilin, and the two walked back to the inn together. Syaoran asked how Meilin had known to come to Hyrule, but Meilin merely smiled mischievously and muttered something about being helped by her auntie's magic.

"I asked your Okaa-sama how to find you, Syaoran, because I was just missing you so much and I have nothing to do back in Hong Kong and you're so much fun to be around!" she babbled happily, her hand squeezing Syaoran's a little too tight.

Syaoran's face was pink with embarrassment, but he couldn't let Meilin know that. What if Sakura saw them holding hands? What would she think?! "So Okaa-sama transported you to Hyrule because you were bored?" His voice was gentle but scolding. "It's dangerous here, Meilin. Two magically powerful people are at large, and they want nothing more than to destroy as many civilians as they can get their hands on. You shouldn't have come."

To Syaoran's annoyance, rather than take him seriously, Meilin laughed shrilly. "But I can't be apart for so long from the man I love!" she said happily. "Especially not when he's surrounded by girls that could easily take him away! How do you think I would feel if I heard that Kinomoto-san had attacked you and forced you to marry her in secret, huh?!"

Syaoran's blush grew violently stronger at these words. So Meilin had no idea. This was getting a little too awkward…

But suddenly it just got even awkwarder. As they approached the inn, Sakura ran out to greet Syaoran only to find him attached to his cousin and fiancée. She stopped a few feet away from him and drew in her hands politely. "Hi, Syaoran-kun, Meilin-chan."

"Good evening, Kinomoto-san!" cried Meilin excitedly, waving at Sakura with the hand she held Syaoran's in and causing him to wave as well in the process. "I couldn't let you and Daidouji-san have all the fun with Syaoran while I sat at home, could I?"

_Have all the… fun?_ Sakura wondered what on earth Meilin was talking about. But Meilin and Syaoran were holding hands, after all. So Syaoran-kun really _did_ return Meilin's feelings. Sakura smiled politely and made small talk when prompted. All her hopes of confessing had just gone down the drain.

Syaoran, however, had been so determined to start with that his hopes hadn't completely faded. They were diminished by the appearance of his cousin, yes, but not even a loud and violent girl could stop him when it came to the one he loved most. Tomoyo loved Sakura, he reminded himself, and that hadn't stopped Sakura from spending time with Syaoran. So why should Meilin's feelings stop him from having his own?

————

Link and Malon spent the rest of the night together, trying to forget about the fact that time was limited.

"Hey, Malon, see that star over there?" Link pointed to a particularly bright star.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That's where the Triforce was originally left by Din, Farore, and Nayru, before the sacred realm was created."

"Really?" Malon asked in wonder.

"Well, according to the legend anyways," Link explained. "It's based on fact, but I'm sure someone made part of it up."

"Yes," said Malon, "but it would be nice to think that the legend would stay true, don't you agree?"

"Yeah."

They walked around for the rest of the evening in silence.

————

The next day was, to say the least, interesting. Link had surprised Malon by taking her for a picnic lunch to Lake Hylia. After that, he had to gather the students and warp them back to the lake so they could go fishing. What most of the group didn't know was that he had secretly warped Syaoran and Sakura to the island, and Tomoyo nearby, so she could "film the second most important day in Sakura's life, after the wedding of course." When asked where the three students were, he replied that there hadn't been enough space at the fishing hole, so they were fishing nearby in the lake.

Meilin, of course, was the first to notice the disappearance of the one she loved. She marched up to Link right then and there and demanded, "Where is Syaoran? Can I go fishing in the lake too? I'm his fiancée, after all!"

"Where did she come from?" Chiharu muttered to Naoko. Neither one had any idea.

Link stared at the violent-looking girl. "What do you mean, your fiancé?"

"Li Syaoran," Meilin said huffily. "Don't pretend you don't know him. He's been my fiancé ever since we were little and I told him I loved him! Now, where is he?!"

Link was mildly shocked, but was starting to dislike the girl already. "I'm not sure he shares your opinion about your relationship, but I _am_ sure that forcing him to marry you would make both him and someone else _very_ unhappy." Link's voice had more of an edge than usual, since he was painfully reminded of Princess Ruto and how she had considered them to be engaged.

Meilin took a step back in shock. She wasn't used to being spoken to in this way. Well, she'd give this tour guide a piece of her mind. "What the heck are you talking about?!" she shrieked. "Of _course_ Syaoran returns my feelings! When the two of us were six years old, I told him I loved him, and he agreed to marry me unless he found a girl he cared about more than me! Has he found that girl yet, I ask you? No he has _not_!" She huffed unhappily. Though she didn't believe Link for a moment, his words had hurt her. What if Syaoran _had_ found somebody he loved more than her? Who would it be? Kinomoto-san? Daidouji-san? Some girl Meilin had never met?

"Take me to Syaoran!" she cried, pushing these thoughts from her head. The only one who could tell her of Syaoran's true feelings, she reasoned, was Syaoran himself. "NOW!"

Link suddenly felt very sorry for the girl, so he decided to try to let her down easy. "He… did find someone else. I'm sorry. I hate giving bad news to anyone except Ganondork." Link laughed at the fact that he had brought up a joke that hadn't been spoken of since he was nine years old. But then his face turned serious once more. "I'm sure he will still want to be friends with you. I'll take you to him, but only if you remain calm."

Meilin felt like someone had hit her with a bus. Okay, okay, calm down… who was this guy to speak so knowledgeably about Syaoran's feelings for her? Who ever said she could trust him? But somehow she could sense the honesty in his words. This was what she'd always feared, but had always know would come eventually. Unbeknownst to herself, Meilin sunk to the ground and put her head in her hands.

"So… Syaoran really doesn't like me… the way I like him. I should have known. Is it… Kinomoto-san?"

Link's heart went out to the girl. After all, Tomoyo had been in a relatively similar situation, although she had dealt with it differently. "I want to say no and make you feel better, but I can't. You're right. If there's anything I can do…" Link's voice trailed off. How was he supposed to deal with this? He needed to talk to Zelda.

Meilin's voice cracked, but she shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine. I always knew this would happen, and really I do want Syaoran to happy more than anything." She looked up at Link with tears in her eyes. "What annoys me the most is that I want to hate Kinomoto-san for taking Syaoran away, but I know she's a good person and I just can't hate her. She's my friend, and I care about her, just like I care about Syaoran. But…" She sighed. "I always thought Syaoran and I had... something else. I guess… I guess I was wrong."

"All right, well," Link said gently, "whenever you're ready, I'll take you to see him."

Meilin nodded. "Okay. Thanks." She tried to smile. "I'm Li Meilin, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Link. You actually arrived at a time when evil is threatening to consume the world… again. Syaoran, Sakura, and I are going to fight. I couldn't stop them from tagging along if I tried, which means that you're probably going to end up coming along as well. But you should know that this isn't a game, and we might not all come back. Ganondorf and Majora won't hesitate to kill you just because you're a kid. If you're serious about this, then feel free to come with us. Once we enter castle town though, there's no turning back." Link was trying to deter Meilin from coming along. Little did he know he had only made her more determined to follow.

"Of course I'm coming with you!" Meilin cried ecstatically. "I can't let Syaoran and Kinomoto-san have all the fun! I can take on these characters any day! Syaoran and I trained in martial arts together, and we know all the same moves. We work together really well! You need me fighting by your side to the end… Link-san!" She used his name for the first time and beamed.

Link sighed. His plan hadn't worked out the way that he'd hoped. Now he had one more person to take care of. "All right, but you'll need a sword. I have just the thing. Wait here."

"A sword? Just like Syaoran's! How wonderful!" Meilin sighed and waited for the tour guide to return. "Link-san…" Now that she knew she could never have Syaoran as anything more than a cousin, she was starting to think that Link was kind of… cute…

Link used Farores Wind to quickly warp to his weapons cache in the village and grab the Gilded Sword. He also noticed that the Great Fairy's Sword was gone, but he assumed that he had left it in Kokiri Village and warped back to the lake.

————

At Kakariko Graveyard, instead of wearing a dress, Malon was wearing a Shekiah battle suit and was using the Great Fairy's Sword to fence with Zelda. She had been training ever since Link had revealed his plan to fight Ganon and Majora, and she was going to go with him.

————

Meanwhile, Sakura was looking around the island in awe. "Wow, this place is so pretty! I wonder why Link-san sent us here. Maybe there's something magical he wants us to take care of. What do you think, Syaoran-kun?"

"M-maybe," spluttered Syaoran. "L-let's go find a place to sit down." He took her hand into his trembling one and led her away.

"Wow, look at that rock! It's so smooth, and _huge_!" Sakura giggled and ran to the rock in question, pulling Syaoran along with her. She climbed to the top and threw her arms to the world. "HELLOOOO!"

Her voice echoed through the crevices of the island: "Hello, hello, helloooo…"

But before Syaoran had time to register this, Sakura had pulled him along again. They sniffed at flowers, visited rabbits in their holes and kicked sand into the frothy sea. It was nearly nightfall by the time Sakura ran out things to explore.

Finally worn out by the time of the sunset, Sakura collapsed onto a small grassy patch in the island's center, looking up at the sky.

Syaoran fell next to her, panting noticeably. "Wow, Sakura…" He laughed, and her along with him.

"I had a great time today, Syaoran-kun." Sakura smiled at him, and as if on cue, his face turned red. Suddenly Sakura's face turned more serious and she sat up to face him with worry in her eyes. "But…"

Syaoran stared at her. "But?" What could possibly change, possibly ruin this moment? Sakura was happy, wasn't she?

"Is it really okay for us to do things like this together, when you're in love with Meilin-chan?"

Syaoran looked down._ Okay, okay, I can do this, I can do this…_ "I-I'm not in love with Meilin, Sakura."

Sakura was shocked. Her eyes grew huge in their sockets and a hand shot to her mouth. "WHAT?! But… but Meilin-chan said you two were engaged!"

"We were," Syaoran explained, pushing himself forward, trying not to think about what he was saying lest he get cold feet at the last moment. "But Meilin said we would be engaged until I found another girl I liked more than her. And…" At this his face somehow managed to redden even further. "…I've found that girl."

Ba-dump. Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. She both did and didn't want to know. "Who… who is it, Syaoran-kun?"

The birds were chirping. Waves slapped gently against the shore. The sun was just beginning to go down, a spectacular sunset as a background to the scene. Tomoyo held her breath from inside a bush nearby.

"It's…" Syaoran breathed in, out, in again. He could do this. He _could_ do this. He could! And he blurted out the rest, staring into her eyes, before he could have a chance to back down. "…Sakura."

"Huh?" Sakura froze, realization suddenly flooding her. _There's someone else Syaoran-kun loves more than Meilin-chan… Syaoran-kun always blushes when he's around me… Syaoran-kun hates Link-san because I care about him so much… Syaoran-kun's always so protective, so determined to not let me get hurt…_

Syaoran loved her.

And she loved him.

Didn't she?

Sakura blinked. There was a long silence. Now she should confess her love to him. Now was the perfect moment. Why didn't she?!

"It's you," Syaoran said with a smile. He'd done it. He'd done it! Now all he needed was an answer. "I love you. You're my number one."

The seconds passed, Sakura still silent. Why was this so surprising? Why couldn't she say a word?

Sakura stood up. She blushed. And then she ran.

_Why… why do I feel this way? I love Syaoran-kun back, don't I? _

_That mirror Link-san showed me made me realize I love Syaoran-kun. But I'm still not one hundred percent sure what that love even means. I have no idea how I feel… even though it's my own heart._

————

Tomoyo emerged from the bushes and Syaoran looked up. "Eh? Oh, hello, Daidouji-san. You were filming?"

She could sense the disappointment behind his words. "Sakura-chan loves you back, Li-kun. I promise," she said consolingly. "She just doesn't know how to say it."

Syaoran knew at once that Tomoyo's words were true. He let out a sigh and lay back down on the ground. "Thank you, Daidouji-san."

"Please, call me Tomoyo, Li-kun."

"Thank you… Tomoyo. And you can call me Syaoran." He smiled. "I know Sakura cares about me. I'll let her tell me when she's ready."

————

Link returned to the fishing hole and showed the Gilded Sword to Meilin. "This is the Gilded Sword. Do you have any sword experience, or do you need lessons?" Link felt that the answer would be the same, whether or not Meilin knew how to use a sword.

Meilin laughed. "No, of course I don't need lessons, Link-san! I'm fine! I've been watching Syaoran use his sword for years! Just look!" She swung the sword haphazardly around her in a circle, nearly slicing off Link's head in the process. She lowered it, slightly shaken, and admitted, "Well, maybe I'm a little rusty. But I'm sure I'll remember soon enough!"

Link looked skeptically at Meilin, but eventually decided to let it go. Her technique was good. She just needed to perfect her precision. "Your technique is good, but you need to perfect your precision." Link paused for a moment. Repeating his thoughts word for word felt rather odd. "It's almost time to go back to the village. I should get everyone into a group."

"All right," Meilin said, pleased that Link had believed her lie about swordsmanship. He actually was going to let her fight! Well, this Link knew his stuff a lot better than Syaoran did, that's for sure. "I can't wait for this battle! I'm going to beat those evil creeps so hard!" She raised her sword to the air and swung. "GRAHHH!"

Link whipped out the Master Sword and expertly blocked her wayward weapon. "The sheath is there for a reason," he quipped. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time. Magical swords tend to have some type of ability to give the user enough skill to become proficient on their own. I suggest you train as often as possible in order to prepare."

Meilin nodded determinedly. "Hai! Don't worry, Link-san, I won't let you down!"

————

Later, back at the village, Link walked over to Rusl. "Are your men ready? Because I'm relatively sure that we'll need to make our move the day after tomorrow."

"My men are always ready," replied Rusl confidently. "We'll fight for Hyrule till the bitter end."

"It won't come to that." Link sounded sure in his words, but as he walked towards the inn he added to himself, "I hope."

————

Back at the inn, Meilin wasted no time in showing everyone her amazing new sword. The others were confused by awed as she swung it and tried not to kill everyone around her. She purposefully avoided Syaoran, to his surprise. _Maybe Meilin finally realized that I don't return her feelings._ He sighed. He'd have wanted to be the one to tell her, but… it was good that she knew, anyway.

As for Sakura, she still hadn't return from her flight on the island. Syaoran and Tomoyo were both a little worried. It was dangerous out there!

Link noticed that Syaoran and Tomoyo were acting a little strange, so he walked over to them. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Syaoran glared at Link, but with less ferocity than before. Perhaps he was finally growing to accept the tour guide? "Sakura ran off after I confessed to her," he said as calmly as she could, "and she hasn't come back yet. I think she might be still on the island."

Link's eyes narrowed. "We should go look for her. It's not a good idea to be out in the open with this much evil around. Get ready; we're leaving in five minutes."

Syaoran nodded gravely, and Tomoyo started rummaging for her camera at once. They were just about ready to depart when another voice sounded across the room.

"I'M COMING TOO!"

Meilin was holding her new sword out in front of her in a fencing position unbefitting to this particular sword type. It was pointed straight at Link. "How do you expect me to sit here and wait for you when Kinomoto-san is in danger?!"

Syaoran sighed. "Meilin… look. I don't know where you got that sword or if you even know how to use it, but…"

"Kinomoto-san is my friend," Meilin said defiantly, cutting him off swiftly with a glare. "And I can't very well let my cousin's girlfriend die at the hands of some creep either!"

Syaoran's heart thumped in his chest, his pulse suddenly racing. "Your cousin's girlfriend?!" he squeaked.

Meilin smiled slyly. "Don't tell me you two have broken up already!"

Link watched the exchange with mild amusement. Before Syaoran could speak, he had warped them to the island.

"HELLO? SAKURA!" Link called out. There was no answer. "We should split up and start searching around the island. If you find Sakura, holler." Link walked off towards a rocky area that was close by.

Tomoyo turned on her camera and set off towards the beach. With a guilty look towards Meilin and a silent prayer that she wouldn't accidentally hurt herself with her new sword, Syaoran headed off towards the field where he'd confessed. As he neared the surrounding trees and started to stumble through, he was suddenly hit by a strong magical aura.

Sakura!

When he emerged into the field, sure enough, he gaped in surprise at seeing a missing person. But to Syaoran's shock, it wasn't the girl he loved.

"Hello-lo-lo!" cried the little yellow stuffed animal. "Did you bring me cakes, kid?"

————

Link suddenly sensed a magical presence that didn't belong to Syaoran and started to run towards it. When he reached the source, he was shocked to see Kero, looking like a stuffed animal once more, in the middle of a clearing, as if he had never gone missing. Link involuntarily spoke. "WHAT?!"

Both turned. "Well, what to you too, Link," Kero said huffily before flying over to his side. "I go missing for days, and I get no welcome back party, no 'I'm so glad to see you, Cerberus,' not even any homecoming cake! Geeze, you people got_ no_ respect."

Syaoran shook his head. "I thought the aura I felt was Sakura's, but it was just Cerberus here. He won't tell me where he's been unless…" Syaoran rolled his eyes dramatically as Kero interrupted.

"…unless you give me cake! I've been starvin' out here and you expect me to tell you this and that willy-nilly?!"

Link was still shocked and his sentences were garbled. "Cake… but… you… Sakura… missing… where… were… you?" Link stumbled a bit and sat down on a rock to prevent himself from falling.

"I was meetin' with the Six Sages, kid," Kero said, laughing slightly at Link's reaction. "Didja really miss me that much?"

"Six… sages?" Syaoran frowned. What did Kero and Link know that he didn't?

"So that's where Impa went," Link muttered to himself. "What did they tell you? And do you have any idea where Sakura is?" Link had regained his composure and was taking a more organized approach to the current issues of the group.

Kero lowered his head. "Great evils are coming," he said softly. "We need to work together to overcome this: you, your girlfriend, me, Sakura, Tomoyo, the kid, the brat… everyone has a part to play. It will be hard. It will be dangerous. But unless we do this, everyone we care about will be destroyed."

Kero had spoken everything in a dramatic half-whisper, leaving Syaoran slightly afraid. Trying not to sound as if Kero's words had meant a thing to him, he asked lightly, "W-where's Sakura?"

"You want to know where Sakura is?" Kero hissed gravely, his eyes narrowed in the ultimate suspense.

Syaoran nodded.

"I have no idea," Kero said quite happily, a smile crossing his face.

Syaoran literally fell to the ground. "WHAT?!"

If Link was annoyed, he didn't show it. "We need to get moving. Sakura could be in danger, and by danger I mean she could be in danger of slipping and falling, or she could be in danger of getting captured by Ganon and Majora's forces." Link reached out for magical auras beyond their present location. "Hmm… Hyrule Field, I think. Yes I'm fairly certain. Let's go." Link started off, the others following close behind.

Syaoran nodded. He couldn't just stand and watch while his number one could be in danger. Plus, this was partially his fault. She'd run off in the first place because of his confession. Syaoran's heart sank. Yes, he wanted Sakura to be happy, and no, he would never want her to be with him if it would cause her pain, but… he'd sort of thought… somehow, he'd been under the impression that she returned his feelings, at least on some level. He sighed. Guess his powers of romantic knowledge weren't as good as Tomoyo's or Link's. He was always second best to someone, wasn't he? Sakura had beat him to the Clow Cards, and whoever she liked (Link? Yukito? Tomoyo?) had beat him to Sakura.

Tomoyo and Meilin joined them shortly, Kero catching Tomoyo up on his adventures while taking a moment every few sentences to glare in Syaoran's or Meilin's direction. Syaoran nodded and pretended to care.

————

As the group reached Hyrule Field, they were presented with the sight of Sakura struggling to hold her ground against five Moblins. Link nudged Syaoran forward. "They're all yours."

Syaoran pulled out his keychain and closed his eyes, and in an instant he was holding a sword. Frustration at everything seemed to overwhelm him at that moment. _I failed to capture the Clow Cards… the girl I love doesn't return my feelings… I'm engaged to a girl I only like as family… I can't seem to do anything right… the girl I love doesn't return my feelings… I can't seem to trust people no matter how hard I try… I only have two real friends… I love Sakura, and she doesn't return my feelings…_

And with a roar of fury all that pent-up anger was released as he swung his sword down on the ones who held Sakura captive. Because as mad as he was, he could never, ever forget about her smile and this blow, that blow was for hurting his number one and that blow, this blow was for the world giving her everything but him.

Link took a deep breath and let it out as he realized that he had yet another problem to deal with. Syaoran was extremely unstable. If he didn't get closure, he was in danger from himself. What Syaoran obviously hadn't noticed was that the way he had attacked had no defensive style whatsoever. If he did anything remotely similar during the battle with Ganon and Majora, he would be dead. And if that didn't happen, Link mused, he could always go insane. Link knew that a person with nothing to lose was both the most dangerous type of person, since they didn't care what happened to themselves, and the most vulnerable type of person, since they usually attacked the same way Syaoran had. Syaoran was under the impression that he had nothing left to lose, and unless he got out of it, Link was certain that he would be dead by the end of the final battle.

Fortunately, the Moblins were weak, and a blow to the head each was enough to finish them off. Syaoran stood holding his sword above Sakura's head, but instead of being comforted by his presence, she was scared. "S-Syaoran… kun…?"

"Hey," Syaoran breathed, "Sakura."

Link was beside the pair in an instant. In another, he had pulled Syaoran out of earshot and was shaking him violently by the shoulders. "SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED OR KILL YOURSELF IF YOU KEEP ACTING THIS WAY! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!

"SHE.

"LOVES.

"YOU!

"SO STOP ACTING LIKE YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A WHOLE LOT!" Link shoved Syaoran back a few feet to accentuate his final point.

Syaoran fell to the ground as if in a dream, and landed beside Sakura with a dull thud. He opened his eyes a crack and peered at her in confusion. "Sakura… loves… me?"

Sakura stared at him as her eyes filled with tears. If there was any time to tell him, it was now. She'd been held captive by these Moblins for hours, but it wasn't the pain or the boredom or even the despair that got to her. It was the last thing she'd said to Syaoran, the way she'd acted when he confessed… it wasn't how she really felt. She'd missed him. And now, her eyes welling up, she leaned into his face.

"I love you, Syaoran."

Syaoran and Link had their swords. Clow had his Cards. Kero could spout fire from his mouth, and monsters could attack whomever they pleased. But compared to those three words, whispered by Sakura to Syaoran's star-struck ear, nothing could have been any stronger.


	7. Action

CHAPTER SEVEN: ACTION

"_I love you, Syaoran."_

Syaoran smiled. "I know," he said happily, and he knew.

The two sat together for a few minutes in silence, just enjoying the fact that they shared each other's feelings. Tomoyo ecstatically filmed them from the side, while Meilin sighed impatiently every few seconds. But Sakura and Syaoran were too overjoyed to hear.

Watching the scene, Link felt a sudden urge to do something nice for Malon. He made a mental note to do that once they got back to the village. However, Link's plan fell through as he found that he had already warped back to the village. "Malon!"

"Link! I was just—" Malon was cut off as she found herself being hugged tightly by the hero.

"I love you, Malon."

"I love you too, Link, but—"

"Shhh. It's Valentine's Day."

Before Malon had time to respond, Link was kissing her. When he finally pulled away, he explained the chain of events that had led up to the current moment.

Malon's face lit up. "So it finally worked?" she asked.

"Yep, and to think that it couldn't have happened without Moblins, and therefore, without Ganondorf." Link burst out laughing and Malon joined in soon after. The day had gone quite well, in Link's opinion. But suddenly he smacked himself on the forehead. "Everyone else is still at the field," Link moaned.

"Well, let's go then, silly," Malon said with a smile.

"Right," Link muttered. "I knew that."

Malon giggled as Link warped them both to the field.

————

Syaoran and Sakura looked up for the first time as Link and Malon arrived. Syaoran gently held Sakura's hand as the two stood up to join them. Meilin cheered that something was finally happening, but Tomoyo elbowed her before she could say a word. Meilin glared at Tomoyo, and then both girls laughed, Tomoyo looking slightly flustered.

Sakura gave her love's hand a squeeze. Syaoran took a deep breath and addressed Link clearly. It was now or never. He used Link's little nickname as always, but now there was more affection than insult in his tone. "So, are we ready for battle, Tourguide?"

Link grinned. "Pretty much. We just need to send messengers to the Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo. They're already prepared; they just need our signal. We've sent Hyrule's very own Marathon Man, the fastest runner in Hyrule, to deliver the messages. We attack the day after tomorrow."

Syaoran smiled. "Then I'm glad we're prepared."

"We'll give those jerks what they deserve!" cried Meilin triumphantly. She held her sword straight up in the air. "We'll punch their faces in and slap them in the places that hurt and…"

Tomoyo swiveled her camera towards Meilin. Now that Sakura was officially together with Syaoran, the two would probably be spending a lot of time together alone. Her camera needed a new subject. Maybe Meilin could oblige? Meilin offered the camera a grin. Tomoyo took that as a yes.

——————

The next two days came and went. Link paced around, Malon secretly trained to the point where Zelda said she was ready, and everyone else went about their business.

For the days leading up to the battle, Sakura and Syaoran spent every moment possible together. It didn't much matter what they were doing as long as they had each other's company. Tomoyo, for once, decided to give Sakura some space, and turned her camera to Meilin. Meilin decidedly loved every minute of it, unlike Sakura, who had protested loudly every time Tomoyo insisted on filming. Tomoyo and Meilin had soon become quite close friends. They spent every moment together as well, for after the battle, though no one would say it aloud, who knew who would come back alive?

Night fell. Morning arrived.

————

Link got out of bed. "This is it," he said to no one in particular. He walked over to Malon who was sleeping, and gently kissed her. "I'll come back. I promise." Link geared up, and walked outside.

Malon opened her eyes. She had been awake the whole time. "I know you'll come back, because I'll be there making sure of it." She got up and put on her Shekiah battle suit, grabbed the Great Fairy's Sword and the Mirror Shield, and walked outside as well.

————

Sakura awoke early and tiptoed down the hallway to the boys' room, but when she knocked, she found that Syaoran had been up even earlier. "Good morning, Sakura," he said softly, so as not to disturb the sleeping Yamazaki. "Today's the big day."

Sakura nodded. "Hai," she replied with a frown. "Ano, do you think it'll go all right, Syaoran?"

Syaoran smiled and took his girl in his arms. "Don't worry, Sakura. Everything will be fine."

Sakura wanted to believe him.

————

"People of Hyrule!" Rusl shouted to the crowd. "Now is our hour! Now, we show Ganon that we are not a force to be taken lightly!" A cheer went up through the crowd of many species and races. "Now, who's ready to fight for our freedom?" Another cheer, louder than the first. "Then what are we waiting for? LET'S MARCH!"

The army marched out of the field, every member ready for the fight of their lives. Meanwhile, Link and his group were discussing their battle strategy. Malon was hidden behind a rock, secretly listening in.

"Anyone who goes inside the castle gate will be part of the fight, since Ganon will trap us there until we defeat him and Majora. So don't go in if you don't want to," Link told the children firmly.

_Perfect, _thought Malon. _All I have to do is get inside the gate, and Link won't be_ able _to make me leave._

Sakura looked out at the troops until she saw one that made her jump with surprise. Her Oniichan, Toya, was marching along with them as if he'd been a Hylian soldier all his life. A sweat drop rested on her head. This was weird. "Hoeeee…"

"Are you looking at Toya, Sakura-chan?"

"Hoe?!" Sakura turned to see Yukito smiling at her. She frowned. "Y-Yukito-san… shouldn't you be with the civilians doing medical work?"

Yukito shook his head. "Well, during a magical battle, I think both of your guardians should be there to protect you, Sakura-chan," he explained.

"H-huh?!" Sakura was startled and deeply confused. How did Yukito know about…?

"Don't worry, kiddo. I told him who he was." Kero flew over and landed on Yukito's shoulder. "I thought Yue would be good to have around in a battle, and besides, he's been to Hyrule before so he knows the place better 'n any of us do."

"I hope that's okay with you, Sakura-chan," Yukito said gently. "I don't mean to intrude."

Sakura smiled. She really did love Yukito, as a second big brother alongside Toya. Having him fight with her would give her courage. "Hai!"

The group had decided that they would use the hidden escape route to get into Castle Town. Link, Kero, and Yue would go in first, clearing out any major enemies like Darknuts or Iron Knuckles. Sakura and Syaoran would go in next to help with any Tekties or Skultullas. Finally, Zelda, as Sheik of course, would escort Meilin and Tomoyo inside, ready to teleport them to a relatively safe place if need be.

_And I'll go in last, three seconds after Zelda,_ thought Malon.

"Let's get moving, then," Link announced, his voice serious, but not grave.

The group moved thought the passage with caution, Malon keeping a safe distance. The plan worked perfectly, and nobody noticed that Malon had entered the market. That is, until the Mirror Shield reflected light onto Link's face. He turned around and froze.

"Malon? What are you doing here? How did you get the Great Fairy's Sword?"

"I've been training with Zelda for a while now," she said with a smirk. "Did you really think I would just let you go in here?"

Link thought for a long moment. "No, no, I didn't. I didn't expect this, though." He sighed deeply. "You can't leave, so I guess you're coming with us. But if you ever pull a stunt like this again…" Link paused. He hadn't actually thought of an "or else" clause yet.

"What do you say we discuss this after the wedding?" Malon asked teasingly.

Link looked at her quizzically. "What wedding? I'm not following your logi—" Link stopped speaking for a moment, his face going from surprised to embarrassed to eventually, amused. "How can you possibly be so casual?" he asked, a slight chuckle in his voice. Malon, who had been counting on Link being unable to speak, simply stood and stared. "Do you want me to ask you later, or should I just say yes?" asked Link, his voice still betraying amusement.

Sakura watched the two of them with a grin. "I knew it! I knew there was something between Link-san and Malon-san! Aww, they're such a cute couple, aren't they, Syaoran?"

Syaoran smiled. Even though he had only recently gotten over his suspicions about Link, he couldn't help feeling happy for the tour guide. "Yeah…"

Meilin seemed the only grumpy one. Her face flushed and she looked down. "I guess I should have realized," she muttered. "No one as cute as Link-san could be single this late in life."

Tomoyo looked at her, surprised. "H-huh, Meilin-chan?"

"Link-san's getting married," Meilin huffed. "I kind of thought that since Syaoran didn't like me anymore, the two of us could get together, Link-san and I!"

Tomoyo flushed and looked away. "Oh." This morning, Sakura, Syaoran, and Meilin were all wearing matching costumes of pink, green, and red that Tomoyo had taken the last two days to meticulously create. Meilin had insisted on helping with Sakura's and Syaoran's, but Tomoyo had kept Meilin's a surprise and sewed it all herself. Meilin looked great in it. She was almost more photogenic than Sakura. And Tomoyo had sort of thought, somehow, that…

Malon shook off her surprise and ran foreword in an attempt to tackle-hug Link. Fortunately for Link, he was expecting this, and managed to catch his… fiancée? Or was it still unofficial? It didn't matter though, as long as they were both happy.

"Now I have an even better reason to get out of this place alive." Link's voice was joking, but he meant every word.

"Yes, you do, and I'm holding you to that promise, Mr. Hero."

Link laughed, but it was short-lived. "Ganon knows we're here. We have to move now, we may not get another chance as good as his one." He then led the band of heroes and heroines towards the castle.

————

As they approached the castle, Meilin let out a little noise that could probably be perceived as a screech. Syaoran sighed and pressed on. Sakura looked just a tiny bit worried. Tomoyo, however, took Meilin's hand. "What's wrong, Meilin-chan?"

"T-t-t-the castle," said Meilin shakily. "It's so, so…"

"It _is_ kind of scary-looking," Tomoyo said thoughtfully.

Meilin blushed. "N-no, that's not what I meant at all!" She whipped her hand out of Tomoyo's and crossed her arms. "I'm not scared of _anything_!"

Tomoyo smiled in understanding. "Right."

————

As the group approached the entrance, three Stalfos appeared to block their way. However, the Master Sword made short work of them.

"Once we're inside, things are going to get a lot harder, so get ready." Link was determined to finish this fight, and not die trying.

Each member of the group nodded individually. "Hai!"

Syaoran turned to Tomoyo and Meilin. "If things get rough, you two need to go home."

"But—" they protested together.

"But I have this sword, Syaoran! I can help you guys!" whined Meilin.

"And _I_ need to videotape Meilin-chan's first battle!" moaned Tomoyo.

Sakura and Syaoran shared a look. "Meilin-chan's first battle?" they asked together.

Tomoyo smiled. "Well, Sakura-chan, you've already captured all the Clow Cards and confessed your love to Syaoran-kun. There isn't that much left to film. You're really growing up!" Her eyes sparkled wistfully as she recalled the moments they'd shared. "But Meilin-chan just learned how to use a sword, and she still needs to find her number one. There's still so many more exciting things to film! Meilin-chan's magical adventures are just beginning!" Her eyes sparkled even brighter at the thought of this. "Plus, Meilin-chan actually likes being in front of the camera, and there's so much I could do with her hair, and she's a designer's dream when it comes to costuming, and—" She stopped abruptly to see the each pair of the group's eyes on her.

"Thanks, Daidouji-san," Meilin said in a businesslike fashion. "You're officially hired as my manager now!" She laughed.

Tomoyo smiled shyly. "Please, call me Tomoyo."

"All right, Tomoyo-chan." Meilin grinned. "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

————

Inside the castle, thing turned to chaos. Monsters were attacking from all directions, including up and down. The group was hard pressed to stay together, but they eventually formed a tight circle of sorts, and moved forwards in unison.

"Once we get to the higher levels, there will be a bunch of Darknuts and Iron Knuckles," Link said loudly in order to be heard. "Ganon wants us to be tired when we face him, but I brought enough potions for everybody, so we'll all be at full strength when the time comes."

————

At Hyrule Field, Ganon's army consisted mainly of Tektites, Lizalfos and Bubbles.

"CHARGE!" The cry came from Rusl, who was at the head of Hyrule's army. The opposing forces met with a crash. The battle wouldn't have an apparent winning side for some time.

The fight was going nowhere fast, for every monster slain two more would take its place, and another Goron would appear to even the odds. The process was becoming slightly repetitive when a battle horn sounded. From the north, an army of forest children who hadn't left the woods for centuries was moving towards the battle. Armed with various specially crafted weapons, the Kokiri joined the fray. The monsters were thrown off by the sudden reinforcements—children, nonetheless—and were losing ground.

Toya marched with the other soldiers, wondering how his Yukito was fairing inside the castle. Toya really had no combat experience, but he wanted to help out in any way he could. Plus, if Yuki died in battle, he didn't want to have said he simply watched from the sidelines. And Sakura was in there. It may seem to an outsider like he really hated her, but deep down he wanted the best for his little sister. If he could protect her in any way, he would.

————

Meilin certainly knew how to charge. Her precision skills were soon forgotten as she stabbed everything she saw that wasn't one of her friends. Syaoran shook his head at her crude techniques, but he was too busy slashing monsters himself to worry about anyone else. Sakura called up various different Clow Cards in turn, and Kero and Yue resumed their true forms to fly at monsters armed with bursts fire and shards of ice. Tomoyo filmed excitedly from the sidelines. The battle seemed to be going in their favor.

The group finally made their way to the main staircase. It looked like it would collapse any second, but they went up anyway. On the second floor of the castle, there were a few Moblins and Skultullas, but not enough to be any sort of threat.

The third floor was where things started to get confusing. From the third floor all the way to the fifth floor, the castle had been transformed into a giant maze. There were false floors and walls, and monsters behind every corner. There were also keys scattered throughout the labyrinth that were needed to open doors that led towards the exit. Link knew what was on the sixth and seventh floors, but he didn't say anything about it to the others.

When the group had finally navigated the maze and were now at the staircase leading to the sixth floor, Link decided that now was as good a time as ever to give his valuable information. "The sixth floor is occupied by Stalfos, and they guard the key to Ganon and Majora's lair. The seventh floor is filled with Darknuts and Iron Kunckles that are guarding the staircase to said lair. Get ready, because you won't have much reaction time."

Almost instantly after they entered the room, the group was swarmed. The sheer number of Stalfos threatened to overwhelm the group, but Link managed to thin them out slightly with a spin attack. The new breathing room didn't last very long, but it was enough to turn the tides of the battle. Soon, everyone was cutting down skeleton warriors left and right. Everyone that is, except for Meilin, who was only slashing up and down. Not very efficient when you're surrounded, but a good number of the enemies managed to get in her way.

After what seemed like an hour, the room was finally cleared. Malon picked up the large key and tossed it to Link, who put it in his magical infinite carrying space. The staircase leading to the seventh floor looked very intimidating. It was carpeted, but the carpet wasn't very mitigating considering the statues lining either side of the staircase, any of which could be enchanted to come alive when they walked by. This time, Kero and Yue led the way, each using a magical shield to flank them, so that all the enchanted statues would be activated and easy to spot. There were no enchanted statues however, and the group cautiously made their way towards Ganon's toughest minions.

Sakura advanced upward behind her guardians, staff out in front of her in a protective way. Fifty-two Clow Cards were hidden in the folds of her costume, fifty-two Cards she was ready to spring out and bring to life. After her followed her number one, Syaoran, holding his sword in much the same way. After a few quickened steps, however, he was at Sakura's side. She moved over on the stairwell to let him beside her. Syaoran muttered in her ear, so softly that if Sakura had been an inch further away she wouldn't have heard him.

"Stay strong, Sakura. If you die, I die, too."

Sakura's resolve broke, and she turned violently to face him, her eyes wide. "_D-die?!_ We're not going to die in there, Syaoran! We're NOT!" Her voice was hysterical. Syaoran noted for the first time that Sakura was deeply afraid. He was afraid too, more than he would ever say, but instead of letting on, he smiled.

"Don't worry, Sakura. After all, I'm sure you'll be all right."

Sakura tried to smile. "I'm sure… I'm sure I'll be all right," she repeated, wishing with all her heart that it were true.

————

At Hyrule Field, more had monsters arrived and had managed to break the circle of soldiers. There were not enough however, to keep the circle broken for long and they were soon surrounded once more. The battle seemed to be won when suddenly, a flaming dragon burst from the ground. Volvagia was back, and the Megaton Hammer was in the castle.

————

Sakura screeched at the top of her lungs. A dragon! And one on fire, too! She'd faced a dragon when fighting the Create Card, but then she had drawn comfort from knowing that it was just a product of Naoko's imagination. This dragon was painfully real.

"Stay back, kiddos!" Kero fearlessly flew out a window to fight the dragon, hoping it wouldn't be too strong for him to overtake.

Yue breathed out, annoyed. "Cerberus seems to think we can just sit back and watch him win the battle for us. He always was naïve. And softhearted. He'll never come out of here alive."

The last part was quiet, almost a whisper, but Sakura's eyes grew wider as she heard them and she let out an involuntary squeak. Syaoran unconsciously put a hand on her shoulder. Tomoyo turned with worried eyes.

"Don't listen to the moon dude, Sakura-chan!" Meilin cried, trying to lift Sakura's spirits by speaking in a voice bursting with confidence. "That stuffed animal's got spunk! He can do it!"

"'Moon dude'?" Yue sniffed in distaste. "Who _are_ you again, may I ask?"

"Meilin is my cousin," said Syaoran defensively.

Meilin smiled tauntingly. It was odd how two days earlier she would have added, "AND FIANCÉE!" as proudly as she could. Now, she wasn't sure if she would have added it for anyone. Syaoran liked Sakura and Link liked Malon. Tomoyo was a good friend, and she was single…

"Hai, that's me!" Meilin told Yue with a smirk. "So don't cross me, Moon Dude, 'cause I gots me a sword!"

Link stood on the staircase, his mind moving too slowly for the situation. _We have to keep moving, but we can't just leave Cerberus to fight Volvagia._ Link didn't see a way out of losing a member of the team. Just then, out the window, he caught a glimpse of six bright lights heading towards the battlefield. When the lights arrived, they faded to reveal the six sages. The solution presented itself instantly. Link used Farore's Wind in a slightly different manner than usual. He warped the Megaton Hammer to Darunia, who link knew could use it to help defeat Volvagia.

"Cerberus has backup now. Let's go."

Sakura gripped her staff a bit harder than usual. Without meaning to, Yue had sliced her to the core. "Ano, ano, Link-san… are you sure that Kero-chan will be all right?"

Syaoran tried his best to smile. "Sakura, Cerberus is a three-hundred-year-old magical beast. I'm sure he'll fair just fine."

"Besides, as long as Darunia has the Hammer, Volvagia doesn't stand a chance," Link supplied.

Sakura had no idea what Link was saying. In fact, none of them—except for maybe Yue—had heard of anything that ever came out of his mouth. But all of them, even Syaoran, had the utmost trust placed in their tour guide by now. Sakura nodded, hardening her resolve. "If you say so, Syaoran, Link-san. Let's go."

Link smiled and led the band of heroes and heroines to the seventh floor. They followed him without question.

————

The sheer number of Darknuts and Iron Knuckles was astounding. Link managed to shake off the shock first and leaped into the crowd. Pieces of armor were flying everywhere, and giant knights were falling to the Blade of Evil's Bane by the second. The rate of defeat for Ganon's minions went up as soon as the rest of the group joined the fight. After what seemed like an eternity, the last Darknut fell and the group was left to stare at the most ominous staircase they had ever seen.

Link pulled out eight bottles filled with blue potion and passed them out. "Drink these, because this is it. Ganon and Majora are at the top of that staircase."

The group was confused, but reluctantly took the bottles and drunk. They were surprised to find it creamy and satisfying, making their whole bodies feel warm and strong. Meilin was trying to sneak some of Tomoyo's, who giggled and starting playing keep-away with her remaining potion before gulping it down. After a minute, however, Sakura noticed that one person still hadn't even touched a bottle.

"Yue-san, why won't you drink the potion Link-san made?"

Yue sighed. "I do not drink, or eat, Sakura-san. Of all people, you should know that, considering my disgusting false form does it all for me."

Sakura turned beet-red at his words. "Yue-san!" she cried, indignant. "Don't talk about Yukito-san like that!"

"You're the same person as Tsukishiro-san," Syaoran prompted, "so if you insult Tsukishiro-san, you insult yourself."

Yue turned up his nose. "We are two separate people. I am nothing like Yukito."

Sakura frowned. "That's not true, Yue-san. You and Yukito-san are exactly alike."

"How?" demanded Yue, not sounding pleased in the least. "In what way could you even begin to compare me to an idiot like Yukito?"

"In every way," said Sakura sweetly. "Now drink."

Yue eventually gulped down the potion, coughing and spluttering as it entered him, but swallowing nonetheless. As they approached the eighth floor, every member of the gang seemed to notice a serious, foreboding air about it. This was it. This was the moment they'd all been waiting for. This was the great evil they had to fight.

This was the final battle.

Sakura was scared, but Syaoran's look of determination gave her courage. Tomoyo had her camera on the best-quality setting available. Meilin stabbed her sword at the air for practice. Yue's façade never changed, but one could sense a knowledge of what was to come behind his placid eyes.

This was it.

————

_Whack!_

The Megaton Hammer fell on Volvagia's head for the final time. The dragon roared in defiance before finally fading away into the shadow magic from which it was created. From here on out, the battle would be much easier for those at Hyrule Field. For those in the castle, however, it was a different story.

————

The door to the room where Ganondorf and Majora waited was huge. Link could sense the huge evil presence emanating from the door and shuddered. He took a deep breath.

He opened the door.


	8. Conclusion

CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION

Link led the way into the room. Inside was a huge throne room that had been redecorated to Ganondorf's liking. Sitting in the throne was the evil king himself, and standing next to him was Majora.

"Hello again, Link." Ganon's voice was deep and menacing. "I'm so glad you could join us. You remember Majora, don't you? He's been waiting to see you." The dark king stood up to his full height, taller than a normal Hylian. He pulled out a huge two-handed sword, wielding it in one hand, and pointed it at Link. "You sealed me in the sacred realm, but I managed to escape. AND NOW YOU WILL PAY!"

Ganondorf sprang forward, intending to slice Link in half. The Master Sword met the huge blade with a resounding clang. Ganon sprang back.

"So, you've been practicing," said Link dryly.

Ganon roared and charged again, but this time Majora charged alongside him. Link leaped out of the way and rolled just in time to evade a magical blast from Majora.

The fight was on.

Sakura gasped. "Link-san!" The way he used a sword was exceptional. She'd never seen anyone—not Syaoran, not Meilin, not even Rika when she had been possessed by the Sword Card—wield a weapon like that. It made her truly realize for the first time that she was a little 11-year-old-girl and Link was fighting full-grown men with a world of magical experience behind them. There was no way Sakura could win this.

At least not alone.

"Card made by Clow, lend your powers to my key!" cried Sakura, swinging the head of her staff down onto the Card in question with fury. "_FIREY!_"

As a huge blast of fire burst from Sakura's staff, Link leaped backwards so as to not get burned, doing a strange little dance with his feet in the process.

Ganon looked at him, slightly puzzled. "What do you think you're doing?"

Link pointed past Ganondorf's shoulder.

"What—?" Ganon turned around just in time to get a face full of fire. For one glorious second, it appeared that he was down and that the Firey had defeated him. Then Ganon brushed away the flame like a feather. "Foolish girl. I am Ganondorf, bearer of the Triforce of Power. Did you really think mere flames could stop—UNGH!" Ganon grunted as the light arrow from Link's bow hit its mark. Again, the evil king shook off the attack. "That won't work this time, _hero._" Ganon spat the last word with disdain. "Nothing but the blade in your hand can stop me, and since I will destroy you before you get the chance to land a single blow with said blade, it is irrelevant."

"Your overconfidence is your weakness." Link's voice was firm and determined.

"Your faith in your friends is yours," said Ganon menacingly as he whirled around and brought his sword down towards Link.

"LINK-SAN!" Sakura started and barely managed to catch the Firey as it fluttered into her hand in Card Form. But… Firey was one of the four element Cards! Nothing could beat them! How could Ganondorf brush it away so easily? Sakura looked to Syaoran, who was watching the battle with wide eyes. He knew there was nothing he could do to help, and so stayed out of the way of the fight. Tomoyo was filming fervently, and Meilin was clinging to her arm in fear, a fact neither of them really noticed. Yue hovered behind the group, sighing obnoxiously when Link made even the slightest mistake.

Sakura couldn't help it. Her eyes teared up, her feeling useless and stupid. If Firey wouldn't work, then she supposed that the rest of the Cards wouldn't either. Was she really expected to just watch and do nothing?! Link's plan hadn't gone this far into the battle. What was she supposed to do now?

Link managed to back flip out of the way of Ganondorf, but it was a very close call. Zelda and Malon were facing off against Majora, and it seemed that their battle could go either way. Ganon charged again and Link dodged much more quickly this time. Link jumped into the air and brought his sword down to meet Ganon's. They began a deadly dance, swords clanging, neither one landing any blows. Majora was starting to gain the upper hand on Malon and Zelda.

This was getting out of hand.

"No," Sakura whispered, starting to cry despite herself. Why was she such a crybaby all the time? Why couldn't she ever do anything to help? Her voice was shrill and uncontrolled, directed at no one in particular. Directed at herself. _Do something! _"L-L-Link-san! They'll hurt Link-san! They'll _k-kill_ him!"

"Sakura!" Syaoran put a comforting arm around her. "Link has experience with this sort of thing. He'll be fine." It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation how Syaoran called him by name for the first time. "But even if he is in danger, crying won't help."

Sakura wiped her arm on her sleeve as her sniffles slowly subsided. "S-Syaoran… it's just…" She struggled to explain her attachment for the tour guide. "Link-san was the one who first showed me that I love you, so I can't let him go to any harm. But thank you, Syaoran. I won't cry anymore." She clenched the Star Wand between two strong fists. Link had helped her out so much since she'd come to Hyrule. She had to do something to help him now! But what?

Ganon leaped into the air and shot a ball of magic towards Link.

"Time to step it up a notch. DIN'S FIRE!" cried Link. A beam of flame tore through the ball of energy and hit Ganon squarely in the chest, doing no damage but sending him flying across the room. Link sprang forward and pulled out a bomb. "Hold this. Thanks." Link thrust the bomb into Ganon's hands and sprang back as the explosion engulfed him.

Despite the smoke concealing his body, Ganon's voice found its way to the group's ears. "You are only delaying the inevitable, hero." Then Ganon started to laugh. "Majora!" Majora started to change and fluctuate until he had transformed into his mask form. "Majora, let's show them the true meaning of power."

"NO!" Link knew what was going to happen next, and it wasn't going to be pretty. But he also knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Ganondorf put on the mask. Instead of being controlled by Majora, however, Ganon absorbed its power. "BEHOLD! I AM NOW THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE UNIVERSE! MWAHAHAHAHA!"

"I don't think so, Ganon_dork_." Link sprang forward at the same time as Malon. The lovers delivered a double strike to Ganon's sword, breaking it in two.

"NO MATTER," Ganon's voice boomed. "MY MAGICAL ABILITIES ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO KILL YOU ALL!" Two blades of dark energy appeared in Ganon's hands. Suddenly, numerous duplicates of the evil king appeared, surrounding Link and leaving Malon stranded outside of the circle.

"I remember how this works," murmured Link as he pulled out his bow. He fired an arrow at each copy until one met real armor and fell to the floor. He slashed at the real Ganon with his sword, and the fight began once more.

The swordfight went on for several minutes, with neither Link nor Ganondorf gaining the upper hand. But when Ganon flew forward with a blow aimed straight at Link's heart, everyone stared.

But suddenly, when Sakura was sure that all hope was lost, a rapid stream of sharp crystals whizzed past her face, making her hair rustle in the slight breeze they created. "Hoeee?"

Yue had struck. He flew forward with inhuman speed and precision, spiraling crystals at Ganon just as he had during the Final Judgment. The others looked after him in awe.

"I am one of the guardians that Clow Reed created," Yue cried. "And that means I do not let harm come to my master or anyone she loves!"

Link breathed a quick sigh of relief; he finally had some backup. He leapt into the air, summoned the Megaton Hammer back into his hand, and slammed it down directly on Ganon's head. The shock wave shattered the evil king's armor, rendering him more vulnerable, but faster on his feet. Malon and Zelda attacked next, slashing at Ganon and throwing Shekiah needles at him respectively. Their attacks had little effect, since Ganon was only vulnerable to the Master Sword. Suddenly, Ganon picked up Link and tossed him into the center of the room. Ganon himself leaped to a spot about ten feet away from the hero. A magical barrier formed, enclosing the two in an arena.

"IT'S JUST YOU AND ME NOW, HERO."

"Why, so it is."

They both dashed forward in another deadly dance.

Yue sighed deeply from outside the barrier. "I tried my hardest. At least now the new master is no longer in harm's way."

"How can you say that, Yue-san? I'm fine, sure, but _Link-san_ is in harm's way!" Sakura cried, hysterical now. She ran forward and slammed her fists against the sides of the barrier, again and again but she could make no headway. "Link-san! Link-san! LINK-SAN!"

Yue was taken aback by her forcefulness when it came to someone she cared about. Was there anyone that he cared about as much as she cared about the ones she loved? Yue doubted there was anyone he cared for as much as Sakura loved her mere acquaintances. Sure, Yukito had feelings for Toya, but Yue didn't in the least feel the same way. There was only one person he had ever really loved, now that he thought about it, and that was, that was…

…Clow, his old master.

But Clow was dead, and Yue had a new master now.

Yue slowly stepped forward until he was standing next to Sakura. She stopped pounding for a moment only to look him in the eyes. Yue's heart softened. How could anyone ever be angry with her?

"Yue-san?" Sakura asked in a tiny voice, biting back tears once more. "Is Link-san going to die?"

Yue was taken aback by this question. He couldn't answer it truthfully, so he said something else instead. "Sakura-san, this is Link's battle. You did your best to help him, and no one could ask any more of you. I'm sure he'll be all right."

Sakura smiled. "Thank you… Yue-san. I know he will."

The duel seemed to be moving in slow motion. Link was aware of his friends and loved ones trying to break the barrier, but he was also aware of Ganon's every move. Swords clashed, magical blasts resonated, and arrows and bombs were depleted. Anything could happen.

Sakura was still scared out of her mind for Link's safety, but now she watched as a spectator instead of bursting to interfere. Yue stood by her side, and soon Syaoran came over to hold her hand. Tomoyo moved in closer to film, and Meilin, attached to her arm like glue, moved with her. No one could breathe. Who would win?

Link hit the floor hard. That last blow was completely unexpected.

"WELL, HERO, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS TIME, I WIN," gloated Ganon, the Triforce symbol on his hand glowing.

Link looked up at the Ganondorf, towering over him with a greedy smile. "Do you know the difference between me and you, Ganon?" asked Link softly.

"I'M GOING TO RULE THE WORLD AND YOU AREN'T?" Ganon answered smugly.

"You draw all your strength from a little triangle on your hand. It glows because you use it. I draw my strength from people who lend me theirs. People who believe in me." Link looked over at Malon. "People who love me." Though he was wounded, Link stood up. "You can't win, Ganon, because I can't let you win." Then he pulled out his sword.

Ganon roared and charged at Link again.

Sakura whimpered upon seeing Link so close to losing, but as he got up she cheered for two things: her beloved tour guide, and the morals he stood for. Hadn't she always succeeded in every battle, captured every Clow Card, because people who loved her had been there to help her? Syaoran, Tomoyo, Meilin, Kero, Yue. She would do anything for them. Toya, Yukito, Kaho, her father, her mother. They would do anything for her. Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki, the Clow Cards themselves. They were her source of strength. Link, Malon, Zelda, Hyrule. I love you.

"Go, Link-san!" Sakura cried as loud as she could. Syaoran beamed at her strength. He couldn't have been happier to see the one he loved smile.

Link leaped to the side, rolled out of the way of a magical blast, leaped into the air, knocked aside Ganon's swords, and plunged the Master Sword into the evil king's chest.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ganon fell to the floor with a dramatic thud.

It was over.

Link pulled the bloodless Master Sword out of Ganon's chest and sheathed it. The magical barrier finally went down. Link turned around just in time to catch a running Malon in his arms and spin her around before kissing her.

"Well, now that this little adventure is over with, we should really be getting outside," Link told her matter-of-factly. "It's pretty stuffy in here."

Sakura could hardly believe her eyes. "You did it!" She was the first one to speak, and laughing all the while, she ran up to Link after Malon. "Link-san, you did it, you did it, you defeated Ganondorf!"

"That's Galon_dork_," Meilin corrected Sakura haughtily, with a glance at Link to see if he was impressed by her remembering of his favorite nickname.

Noticing Meilin's antics, Tomoyo blushed. "M-Meilin-chan… L-Link-san…" Did Meilin… _like_ Link? Normally Tomoyo could tell so easily who loved whom. Why this once had she not seen whom Meilin truly loved? Maybe because she hadn't wanted to. Maybe because she couldn't deal with being rejected twice—Sakura loved Syaoran, and now Meilin loved Link. Tomoyo started to speak, carefully now, hoping even a syllable wouldn't give her away. "Meilin-chan, d-do you l-lo—?"

"Do I like Link-san, is that what you're asking?" Meilin finished for her with a smirk.

Tomoyo had forgotten how straightforward Meilin could be. Blushing furiously, Tomoyo nodded and waited with bated breath.

"Nope."

Tomoyo nearly fell over with relief. "Ano, but, Meilin-chan, I thought you—"

Meilin laughed in a Meiliny way. "Oh, my crush on Link-san is _so_ pre-final-battle. I'm way over him _and_ Syaoran." She shot Syaoran a glance, but when she saw him entwined with Sakura, she had the decency for once to look away. "I'm a single chick now! My mind is totally open to new, cute guys!"

"W-what about cute girls?" Tomoyo spluttered. She couldn't believe she was saying this. What if Meilin thought she was a freak?!

"Like you, Tomoyo-chan?" Meilin asked sweetly. She laughed and gave her friend a wink. "We'll see."

Tomoyo couldn't breathe.

————

After celebrating by Link's side, Sakura ran to Yue and wrapped him in an embrace. Yue tried to shove her away, but Sakura held firm. "Thank you, Yue-san."

"For what?" asked Yue coldly, turning up his nose.

Sakura looked up, smiling slyly. "You know what." And with that, she walked away, leaving Yue utterly baffled and very touched.

Then Sakura turned her attention to someone else she wanted to thank. Someone who her need to thank couldn't possibly be extended into words. There was only one way to express what she'd felt, and even though she'd never done it before in her life, she approached her problem head-on with the energy that makes Sakura so special.

She ran into Syaoran's arms and kissed him.

————

At Hyrule Field, any remaining monsters disintegrated the instant Ganondorf was defeated. A cheer went up throughout the entire army. The cheer intensified as they caught sight of the group of heroes and heroines making their way towards the center of the field. A huge party was in order, and it was set up very quickly. Toasts were made and music was played.

Sakura and Syaoran spent the entire party together, eating and dancing until they went off into the woods by themselves a few minutes in. No one followed. They seemed to sense that the two needed some time alone after all they'd been through. Kero was stuffing himself with cakes left and right. Tomoyo filmed the entire thing, while Meilin directed the video from the sidelines. Yue turned back into Yukito because his true form hates parties, and he ran into Toya's arms as soon as he saw him. The other Tomoeda students were invited to join upon Sakura's request, and Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika partied while they listened patiently to one of Yamazaki's patented stories, a.k.a. lies. Everyone had a great time.

But for Link, the whole thing seemed to fly by, and before he knew it, he was back in front of the hotel.

"Huh?" Link was very confused. "What just happened?"

Malon sighed. "Well, the party's over, Link, and now we're back at the hotel," she said patiently, giving him a little kiss on the cheek. "But we have another party to plan, remember? A wedding?"

Link smiled. "Yeah, I remember."

They walked inside the hotel hand-in-hand.

————

The next day, caravans were set up to take the students to the airport. Everyone was ready to depart for Japan.

Toya and Yukito waved Sakura goodbye from inside the hotel lobby. "I'll see you when we get home, monster," Toya drawled.

Sakura growled. "I'm not a monster, Oniichan! You should know that, considering you fought them all day yesterday!"

"I know. Those things I fought looked exactly like you," said her brother with a smirk.

"_Oniichan!_"

"Toya, you shouldn't tease Sakura-chan like that," Yukito scolded him, but it was hard to sound angry when just one look at Toya made him blush with delight.

Link cleared his throat. "Well, I guess this is it."

Tomoyo and Meilin approached Link first. Tomoyo grinned at him slyly and said, "Thank you for everything, Link-san… for the tour, and for getting Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun to finally realize their feelings for each other."

"Bye, Link-san," said Meilin, a little more flirtatiously than he or Tomoyo would have liked, but not quite enough to be worrisome. It was really more playful than flirty, anyway.

Next, Sakura ran up to Link and hugged him. "Oh, goodbye, Link-san! I'll miss you so much!"

"And I know _I'll_ miss Hyrule's cakes," Kero whined, floating beside her.

Syaoran grudgingly held out his hand. "Bye, Tourguide. It was nice meeting you."

Link shook it. "Bye to you too, Student!"

Syaoran couldn't help smiling.

————

After the goodbyes were said, Link watched as everyone left piled into the caravans and rode off into the sunset. He got on Epona with Malon and rode off into the field for a picnic. They had an important day to plan, after all. And until then, it couldn't hurt to spend some time alone together.

————

Sakura looked out the window of the carriage and smiled. "It's so sad to be leaving, but in the end, I'm really glad we came to Hyrule."

"Hai," agreed Syaoran, "because we were finally able to tell each other how we feel." He beamed at his number one. She gave him a warm grin in return.

Tomoyo filmed this from across the carriage, slightly bored. Sakura wasn't nearly as interesting to film as she'd used to be. Meilin's hand crept into Tomoyo's, and both smiled at the warmth it brought. Tomoyo turned her camera to Meilin instead, who beamed.

"Can I have pudding when we get back home, Sakura?" Kero moaned from inside her handbag.

Instead of shushing him, Sakura laughed. "Sure, Kero-chan, whatever you want."

"Yay! I get _pudding_!" Kero cried. His voice sounded so delighted at the prospect that it put the entire carriage in good spirits for the rest of the journey. And the foursome waved out of the carriage windows until Hyrule was just a spec on the horizon.

THE END


End file.
